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THE INVASION OF 1910

THE INVASION OF

I9IO

WITH A FULL ACCOUNT OF
THE SIEGE OF LONDON

WILLIAM LE QUEUX

NAVAL CHAPTERS BY H. W. WILSON

INTRODUCTORY LETTER BY
FIELD-MARSHAL EARL ROBERTS, K.G., K.P., ETC.

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THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, Limited

1906

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PREFACE

" / sometimes despair of the country ever becoming
alive to the danger of the unpreparedness of our
present position until too late to prevent some fatal
catastrophe'1

This was the keynote of a solemn warning made
in the House of Lords on July ioth of the present year
by Earl Roberts. His lordship, while drawing attention
to our present inadequate forces, strongly urged that
action should be taken in accordance with the recom-
mendations of the Elgin Commission that " no military
system could be considered satisfactory which did not
contain powers of expansion outside the limit of the
regular forces of the Crown."

" The lessons of the late war appear to have been
completely forgotten. The one prevailing idea seems to
be/' said Earl Roberts, " to cut down our military
expenditure without reference to our increased responsi-
bilities and our largely augmented revenue. History
tells us in the plainest terms that an Empire which
cannot defend its own possessions must inevitably
perish." And with this view both Lord Milner and
the Marquis of Lansdowne concurred. But surely

PREFACE

this is not enough. If we are to retain our position
as the first nation in the world we must be prepared to
defend any raid made upon our shores.

The object of this book is to illustrate our utter
unpreparedness for war, to show how, under certain
conditions which may easily occur, England can be
successfully invaded by Germany, and to present a
picture of the ruin which must inevitably fall upon us
on the evening of that not far-distant day.

Ever since Lord Roberts formulated his plans for
the establishment of rifle -clubs I have been deeply
interested in the movement ; and after a conversation
with that distinguished soldier the idea occurred to me
to write a forecast, based upon all the available military
and naval knowledge — which would bring home to
the British public vividly and forcibly what really
would occur were an enemy suddenly to appear in our
midst. At the outset it was declared by the strategists
I consulted to be impossible. No such book could
ever be written, for, according to them, the mass of
technical detail was far too great to digest and present
in an intelligible manner to the public.

Lord Roberts, however, gave me encouragement.
The skeleton scheme of the manner in which England
could be invaded by Germany was submitted to a
number of the highest authorities on strategy, whose
names, however, I am not permitted to divulge, and
after many consultations, much criticism, and consider-
able difference of opinion, the " general idea," with
amendment after amendment, was finally adopted.

PREFACE

vii

That, however, was only a mere preliminary. Upon
questions of tactics each tactician consulted held a
different view, and each criticised adversely the other's
suggestions. With the invaluable assistance of my
friend Mr. H. W. Wilson, we had decided upon the
naval portion of the campaign ; but when it came to
the operations on land, I found a wide divergence
of opinion everywhere.

One way alone remained open — namely, to take
the facts exactly as they stood, add the additional
strength of the opposing nations as they will be in 1910,
and then draw logical conclusions. This, aided by
experts, was done ; and after many days of argument
with the various authorities, we succeeded at last in
getting them in accord as to the general practicability
of an invasion.

Before putting pen to paper it was necessary to
reconnoitre carefully the whole of England from the
Thames to the Tyne. This I did by means of a motor-
car, travelling 10,000 miles of all kinds of roads, and
making a tour extending over four months. Each
town, all the points of vantage, military positions, all
the available landing-places on the coast, all railway
connections, and telephone and telegraph communica-
tions, were carefully noted for future reference. With
the assistance of certain well-known military experts,
the battlefields were carefully gone over and the positions
marked^uponJtheJOrdnance map. Thus, through four
months we pushed on day by day collecting information
and material, sometimes in the big cities, sometimes

viii

PREFACE

in the quietest and remotest hamlets, all of which was
carefully tabulated for use.

Whatever critics may say, and however their
opinions may differ, it can only be pointed out, first,
that the " general idea " of the scheme is in accordance
with the expressed and published opinions of the first
strategists of to-day, and that, as far as the forecast of
events is concerned, it has been written from a first-
hand knowledge of the local colour of each of the scenes
described. The enemy's Proclamations reproduced are
practically copies of those issued by the Germans during
the war of 1870.

That the experts and myself will probably be con-
demned as alarmists and denounced for revealing
information likely to be of assistance to an enemy goes
without saying. Indeed, on March 15th last, an
attempt was made in the House of Commons to suppress
its publication altogether. Mr. R. C. Lehmann, who
asked a question of the Prime Minister, declared that
it was " calculated to prejudice our relations with the
other Powers," while Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman,
in a subsequent letter apologising to me for condemning
in the House a work he had not read, repeated that
it was likely to " produce irritation abroad and might
conceivably alarm the more ignorant public at home."

Such a reflection, cast by the Prime Minister upon
the British nation, is, to say the least, curious, yet it
only confirms the truth that the Government are
strenuously seeking to conceal from our people the
appalling military weakness and the consequent danger
to which the country is constantly open.

PREFACE

Mr. Haldane's new scheme has a number of points
about it which, at first sight, will perhaps commend
themselves to the general public, and in some cases
to a proportion of military men. Foremost among
these are the provision made for training the Militia
Artillery in the use of comparatively modern field-guns,
and the institution of the County Associations for the
administration of the Volunteers and the encouragement
of the local military spirit. Could an ideal Association
of this kind be evolved there is little doubt that it would
be capable of doing an immense amount of good, since
administration by a central staff, ignorant of the widely
differing local conditions which affect the j several
Volunteer corps, has already militated against getting
the best work possible out of their members. But
under our twentieth-century social system, which has
unfortunately displaced so many influential and respected
county families — every one of which had military or naval
members, relations or ancestors — by wealthy tradesmen,
speculators, and the like, any efficient County Association
will be very hard to create. Mr. Haldane's scheme is
a bold and masterly sketch, but he will find it very
hard to fill in the details satisfactorily. Unfortunately,
the losses the Army must sustain by the reduction of
so many fine battalions are very real and tangible, while
the promised gains in efficiency would appear to be
somewhat shadowy and uncertain.

To be weak is to invite war ; to be strong is to
prevent it.

To arouse our country to a sense of its own lament-

PREFACE

able insecurity is the object of this volume, and that
other nations besides ourselves are interested in
England's grave peril is proved by the fact that it
has already been published in the German, French,
Spanish, Danish, Russian, Italian, and even Japanese
languages.

William Le Queux.

London, July 26, 1906.

CONTENTS

BOOK I

CHAP. PAGE

I. The Surprise . 3

II. Effect in the City 20

III. News of the Enemy . .... 30

IV. A Prophecy Fulfilled 48

V. Our Fleet Taken Unawares .... 60

VI. Fierce Cruiser Battle 77

VII. Continuation of the Struggle at Sea . . 94
VIII. Situation in the North . . . . .108
IX. State of Siege Declared . . . .118
X. How the Enemy Dealt the Blow . .131
XI. Germans Landing at Hull and Goole . . 154
XII. Desperate Fighting in Essex . . -171

XIII. Defence at Last 202

XIV. British Success at Royston . . . .221
XV. British Abandon Colchester . . . . 235

XVI. Fierce Fighting at Chelmsford . . . 255

XVII. In the Enemy's Hands 266

XVIII. The Feeling in London 279

xii

CONTENTS

BOOK II

CHAP. PAGE

I. The Lines of London 287

II. Repulse of the Germans 299

III. Battle of Epping 310

IV. Bombardment of London 326

V. The Rain of Death 344

VI. Fall of London 357

VII. Two Personal Narratives . . . .372

VIII. Germans Sacking the Banks .... 393
IX. What was Happening at Sea . . . .413

X. Situation South of the Thames . . . 444

XI. Defences of South London .... 456

XII. Daily Life of the Beleaguered . . . 466

XIII. Revolts in Shoreditch and Islington . . 477

BOOK III

I. A Blow for Freedom 495

II. Scenes at Waterloo Bridge . . . .511

III. Great British Victory 520

IV. Massacre of Germans in London . . . 531
V. How the War Ended 540

LIST OF MAPS AND PLANS

BOOK I

PAGE

Position of the IVth German Army Corps Twelve

Hours after Landing at Weybourne, Norfolk . 57

Position of the Saxon Corps Twenty-four Hours

after Landing in Essex 148

Position of the German Forces Twenty-four Hours

after Landing at Goole 157

Germany's Points of Embarkation .... 167

Battle of Purleigh, 6th September .... 193

Battle of Sheffield 218

Positions of Opposing Forces, 8th September . . 227

Battle of Royston, Sunday, qth September . . 232

Battle of Chelmsford. Position on the Evening

of iith September 258

The Defence of Sheffield 268

BOOK II

The Lines of London 288

Battle of Harlow — First Phase .... 296

Battle of Harlow — Final Phase .... 307

xiii

xiv

LIST OF MAPS AND PLANS

PAGE

German Attack on the Lines of London . . . 315

The Bombardment and Defences of London on

20TH and 2 ist September ..... 337

London after the Bombardment 365

Damage done in the City by the Bombardment . 369

Damage done in Westminster by the Bombardment . 384

Shetland Islands 433

The Defences of South London on 26th September 457

Scene of the Street Fighting in Shoreditch on

27TH September 478

BOOK I

THE ATTACK

CHAPTER I

THE SURPRISE

Two of the myriad of London's night-workers were
walking down Fleet Street together soon after dawn on
Sunday morning, 2nd September.

The sun had not yet risen. That main artery of
London traffic, with its irregular rows of closed shops
and newspaper offices, was quiet and pleasant in the
calm, mystic light before the falling of the smoke-
pall.

Only at early morning does the dear old City look
its best ; in that one quiet, sweet hour when the night's
toil has ended and the day's has not yet begun. Only
in that brief interval at the birth of day, when the
rose tints of the sky glow slowly into gold, does the
giant metropolis repose — at least, as far as its business
streets are concerned — for at five o'clock the toiling
millions begin to again pour in from all points of the
compass, and the stress and storm of London life at
once recommences.

And in that hour of silent charm the two grey-
bearded sub-editors, though engaged in offices of rival
newspapers, were making their way homeward to
Dulwich to spend Sunday in a well-earned rest, and
were chatting " shop " as Press men do.

" I suppose you had the same trouble to get that
Yarmouth story through ? " asked Fergusson, the news-
editor of the Weekly Dispatch, as they crossed White-
friars Street. " We got about half a column, and
then the wire shut down."

THE INVASION OF 1910

" Telegraph or telephone ? " inquired Baines, who
was four or five years younger than his friend.

' ' We were using both — to make sure."

" So were we. It was a rattling good story — the
robbery was mysterious, to say the least — but we
didn't get more than half of it. Something's wrong
with the line, evidently," Baines said. " If it were not
such a perfect autumn morning, I should be inclined
to think there' d been a storm somewhere."

" Yes — funny, wasn't it ? " remarked the other.
" A shame we haven't the whole story, for it was a
first-class one, and we wanted something. Did you
put it on the contents-bill ? "

"No, because we couldn't get the finish. I tried in
every way — rang up the Central News, P. A., Exchange
Telegraph Company, tried to get through to Yarmouth
on the trunk, and spent half an hour or so pottering
about, but the reply from all the agencies, from every-
where in fact, was the same — the line was interrupted."

" Just our case. I telephoned to the Post Office,
but the reply came back that the lines were evidently
down."

" Well, it certainly looks as though there'd been

a storm, but " and Baines glanced at the bright,

clear sky overhead, just flushed by the bursting sun —
" there are certainly no traces of it."

" There's often a storm on the coast when it's quite
still in London, my dear fellow," remarked his friend
wisely.

" That's all very well. But when all communication
with a big place like Yarmouth is suddenly cut off, as
it has been, I can't help suspecting that something has
happened which we ought to know."

" You're perhaps right after all," Fergusson said.
" I wonder if anything has happened. We don't want
to be called back to the office, either of us. My assistant,
Henderson, whom I've left in charge, rings me up over
any mare's nest. The trunk telephones all come into the
Post Office exchange up in Carter Lane. Why not look

THE SURPRISE

in there before we go home ? It won't take us a quarter
of an hour, and we have several trains home from
Ludgate Hill."

Baines looked at his watch. Like his companion,
he had no desire to be called back to his office after
getting out to Dulwich, and yet he was in no mood to
go making reporter's inquiries.

" I don't think I'll go. It's sure to be nothing,
my dear fellow," he said. " Besides, I have a beastly
headache. I had a heavy night's work. One of my
men is away ill."

" Well, at any rate, I think I'll go," Fergusson said.
" Don't blame me if you get called back for a special
edition with a terrible storm, great loss of life, and all
that sort of thing. So long." And, smiling, he waved
his hand and parted from his friend in the booking-
office of Ludgate Hill Station.

Quickening his pace, he hurried through the office
and, passing out by the back, ascended the steep,
narrow street until he reached the Post Office telephone
exchange in Carter Lane, where, presenting his card,
he asked to see the superintendent-in-charge.

Without much delay he was shown upstairs into a
small private office, into which came a short, dapper,
fair-moustached man with the bustle of a person in a
great hurry.

" I've called," the sub-editor explained, " to know
whether you can tell me anything regarding the cause
of the interruption of the line to Yarmouth a short time
ago. We had some important news coming through,
but were cut off just in the midst of it, and then we
received information that all the telephone and tele-
graph lines to Yarmouth were interrupted."

" Well, that's just the very point which is puzzling
us at this moment," was the night-superintendent's
reply. "It is quite unaccountable. Our trunk going
to Yarmouth seems to be down, as well as the telegraphs.
Yarmouth, Lowestoft, and beyond Beccles seem all
to have been suddenly cut off. About eighteen minutes

6 -'<■ r i THE INVASION OF 1910

to four the operators noticed something wrong, switched
the trunks through to the testers, and the latter re-
ported to me in due course."

" That's strange ! Did they all break down together ? "

"No. The first that failed was the one that runs
through Chelmsford, Colchester, and Ipswich up to
Lowestoft and Yarmouth. The operator found that
he could get through to Ipswich and Beccles. Ipswich
knew nothing, except that something was wrong. They
could still ring up Beccles, but not beyond."

As they were speaking, there was a tap at the door,
and the assistant night-superintendent entered, saying —

" The Norwich line through Scole and Long Stratton
has now failed, sir. About half-past four Norwich
reported a fault somewhere north, between there and
Cromer. But the operator now says that the line is
apparently broken, and so are all the telegraphs from
there to Cromer, Sheringham, and Holt."

" Another line has gone, then ! " exclaimed the
superintendent-in-charge, utterly astounded. " Have
you tried to get on to Cromer by the other routes —
through Nottingham and King's Lynn, or through
Cambridge ? "

" The testers have tried every route, but there's no
response."

" You could get through to some of the places —
Yarmouth, for instance — by telegraphing to the Con-
tinent, I suppose ? " asked Fergusson.

"We are already trying," responded the assistant
superintendent.

" What cables run out from the east coast in that
neighbourhood ? " inquired the sub-editor quickly.

" There are five between South wold and Cromer —
three run to Germany, and two to Holland," replied
the assistant. " There's the cable from Yarmouth to
Barkum, in the Frisian Islands ; from Happisburg,
near Mundesley, to Barkum ; from Yarmouth to Emden ;
from Lowestoft to Haarlem, and from Kessingland,
near Southwold, to Zandyport."

THE SURPRISE

" And you are trying all the routes ? " asked his
superior.

" I spoke to Paris myself an hour ago and asked
them to cable by all five routes to Yarmouth, Lowestoft,
Kessingland, and Happisburg," was the assistant's
reply. " I also asked Liverpool Street Station and
King's Cross to wire down to some of their stations on
the coast, but the reply was that they were in the
same predicament as ourselves — their lines were down
north of Beccles, Wymondham, East Dereham, and also
south of Lynn. I'll just run along and see if there's
any reply from Paris. They ought to be through by
this time, as it's Sunday morning, and no traffic." And
he went out hurriedly.

" There's certainly something very peculiar," re-
marked the superintendent-in-charge to the sub-editor.
" If there's been an earthquake or an electrical disturb-
ance, then it is a most extraordinary one. Every
single line reaching to the coast seems interrupted."

" Yes. It's uncommonly funny," Fergusson re-
marked. " I wonder what could have happened.
You've never had a complete breakdown like this
before ? "

" Never. But I think "

The sentence remained unfinished, for his assistant
returned with a slip of paper in his hand, saying —

44 This message has just come in from Paris. I'll
read it. 4 Superintendent Telephones, Paris, to Super-
intendent Telephones, London. — Have obtained direct
telegraphic communication with operators of all five
cables to England. Haarlem, Zandyport, Barkum,
and Emden all report that cables are interrupted.
They can get no reply from England, and tests show
that cables are damaged somewhere near English
shore.5 "

44 Is that all ? " asked Fergusson.
44 That's all. Paris knows no more than we do,"
was the assistant's response.

" Then the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts are completely

THE INVASION OF 1910

isolated — cut off from post office, railways, telephones,
and cables ! " exclaimed the superintendent. " It's
mysterious — most mysterious ! " And, taking up the
instrument upon his table, he placed a plug in one of
the holes down the front of the table itself, and a moment
later was in conversation with the official in charge of
the traffic at Liverpool Street, repeating the report
from Paris, and urging him to send light engines north
from Wymondham or Beccles into the zone of mystery.

The reply came back that he had already done so,
but a telegram had reached him from Wymondham
to the effect that the road-bridges between Kimberley
and Hardingham had apparently fallen in, and the
line was blocked by debris. Interruption was also
reported beyond Swaffham, at a place called Little
Dunham.

" Then even the railways themselves are broken ! "
cried Fergusson. "Is it possible that there's been a
great earthquake ? "

" An earthquake couldn't very well destroy all five
cables from the Continent," remarked the superintendent
gravely.

The latter had scarcely placed the receiver upon
the hook when a third man entered — an operator who,
addressing him, said —

" Will you please come to the switchboard, sir ?
There's a man in the Ipswich call office who has just
told me a most extraordinary story. He says that
he started in his motor-car alone from Lowestoft to
London at half-past three this morning, and just as it
was getting light he was passing along the edge of
Henham Park, between Wangford village and Blyth-
burgh, when he saw three men apparently repairing
the telegraph wires. One was up the pole, and the other
two were standing below. As he passed he saw a flash,
for, *to his surprise, one of the men fired point-blank
at him with a revolver. Fortunately, the shot went
wide, and he at once put on a move and got down into
Blythburgh village, even though one of his tyres went

THE SURPRISE

down. It had probably been pierced by the bullet
fired at him, as the puncture was unlike any he had
ever had before. At Blythburgh he informed the police
of the outrage, and the constable, in turn, woke up the
postmaster, who tried to telegraph back to the police
at Wrentham, but found that the line was interrupted.
Was it possible that the men were cutting the wires,
instead of repairing them ? He says that after repair-
ing the puncture he took the village constable and
three other men on his car and went back to the spot,
where, although the trio had escaped, they saw that
wholesale havoc had been wrought with the telegraphs.
The lines had been severed in four or five places, and
whole lengths tangled up into great masses. A number
of poles had been sawn down, and were lying about the
roadside. Seeing that nothing could be done, the
gentleman remounted his car, came on to Ipswich, and
reported the damage at our call office."

" And is he still there ? " exclaimed the super-
intendent quickly, amazed at the motorist's statement.

" Yes. I asked him to wait for a few moments in
order to speak to you, sir."

" Good. I'll go at once. Perhaps you'd like to
come also, Mr. Fergusson ? "

And all four ran up to the gallery, where the huge
switchboards were ranged around, and where the
night operators, with the receivers attached to one
ear, were still at work.

In a moment the superintendent had taken the
operator's seat, adjusted the ear-piece, and was in
conversation with Ipswich. A second later he was
speaking with the man who had actually witnessed
the cutting of the trunk line.

While he was thus engaged an operator at the farther
end of the switchboard suddenly gave vent to a cry of
surprise and disbelief.

" What do you say, Beccles ? Repeat it," he asked
excitedly.

Then a moment later he shouted aloud —

io THE INVASION OF 1910

" Beccles says that German soldiers — hundreds of
them — are pouring into the place ! The Germans have
landed at Lowestoft, they think."

All who heard those ominous words sprang up
dumbfounded, staring at each other.

The assistant-superintendent dashed to the operator's
side and seized his apparatus.

" Halloa — halloa, Beccles ! Halloa — halloa —
halloa ! "

The response was some gruff words in German,
and the sound of scuffling could distinctly be heard.
Then all was silent.

Time after time he rang up the small Suffolk town,
but in vain. Then he switched through to the testers,
and quickly the truth was plain.

The second trunk line to Norwich, running from
Ipswich by Harleston and Beccles, had been cut farther
towards London.

But what held everyone breathless in the trunk
telephone headquarters was that the Germans had
actually effected the surprise landing that had so often
in recent years been predicted by military critics ;
that England on that quiet September Sunday morn-
ing had been attacked. England was actually invaded.
It was incredible !

Yet London's millions in their Sunday morning
lethargy were in utter ignorance of the grim disaster
that had suddenly fallen upon the land.

Fergusson was for rushing at once back to the
Weekly Dispatch office to get out an extraordinary
edition, but the superintendent, who was still in con-
versation with the motorist, urged judicious forethought.

" For the present, let us wait. Don't let us alarm
the public unnecessarily. We want corroboration.
Let us have the motorist up here," he suggested.

" Yes," cried the sub-editor. " Let me speak to
him."

Over the wire Fergusson begged the stranger to
come at once to London and give his story, declaring

THE SURPRISE

that the military authorities would require it. Then,
just as the man who had been shot at by German advance
spies — for such they had undoubtedly been — in order
to prevent the truth leaking out, gave his promise to
come to town at once, there came over the line from
the coastguard at Southwold a vague, incoherent tele-
phone message regarding strange ships having been
seen to the northward, and asking for connection with
Harwich ; while King's Cross and Liverpool Street
Stations both rang up almost simultaneously, reporting
the receipt of extraordinary messages from King's
Lynn, Diss, Harleston, Halesworth, and other places.
All declared that German soldiers were swarming over
the north, that Lowestoft and Beccles had been seized,
and that Yarmouth and Cromer were isolated.

Various stationmasters reported that the enemy
had blown up bridges, taken up rails, and effectually
blocked all communication with the coast. Certain
important junctions were already held by the enemy's
outposts.

Such was the amazing news received in that high-up
room in Carter Lane, City, on that sweet, sunny morning
when all the great world of London was at peace, either
still slumbering or week-ending.

Fergusson remained for a full hour and a half at
the Telephone Exchange, anxiously awaiting any further
corroboration. Many wild stories came over the wires
telling how panic-stricken people were fleeing inland
away from the enemy's outposts. Then he took a
hansom to the Weekly Dispatch office, and proceeded
to prepare a special edition of his paper — an edition
containing surely the most amazing news that had
ever startled London.

Fearing to create undue panic, he decided not to
go to press until the arrival of the motorist from Ipswich.
He wanted the story of the man who had actually
seen the cutting of the wires. He paced his room
excitedly, wondering what effect the news would have
upon the world. In the rival newspaper offices the

THE INVASION OF 1910

report was, as yet, unknown. With journalistic fore-
thought he had arranged that at present the bewilder-
ing truth should not leak out to his rivals, either from
the railway termini or from the telephone exchange.
His only fear was that some local correspondent might
telegraph from some village or town nearer the metropolis
which was still in communication with the central office.

Time passed very slowly. Each moment increased
his anxiety. He had sent out the one reporter who
remained on duty to the house of Colonel Sir James
Taylor, the Permanent Under-Secretary for War. Halt-
ing before the open window, he looked up and down
the street for the arriving motor-car. But all was
quiet.

Eight o'clock had just boomed from Big Ben, and
London still remained in her Sunday morning peace. The
street, bright in the warm sunshine, was quite empty,
save for a couple of motor-omnibuses and a sprinkling
of gaily dressed holiday-makers on their way to the day
excursion trains.

In that centre of London — the hub of the world —
all was comparatively silent, the welcome rest after
the busy turmoil that through six days in the week is
unceasing, that fevered throbbing of the heart of the
world's great capital.

Of a sudden, however, came the whirr-r of an ap-
proaching car, as a thin-faced, travel-stained man tore
along from the direction of the Strand and pulled up
before the office. The fine car, a six-cylinder " Napier,"
was grey with the mud of country roads, while the
motorist himself was smothered until his goggles had
been almost entirely covered.

Fergusson rushed out to him, and a few moments
later the pair were in the upstairs room, the sub-editor
swiftly taking down the motorist's story, which differed
very little from what he had already spoken over the
telephone.

Then, just as Big Ben chimed the half-hour, the
echoes of the half-deserted Strand were suddenly

THE SURPRISE

awakened by the loud, strident voices of the newsboys
shouting —

" Weekly Dispatch, spe-shall ! Invasion of England
this morning ! Germans in Suffolk ! Terrible panic !
Spe-shall ! Weekly Dispatch, Spe-shall ! "

As soon as the paper had gone to press Fergusson
urged the motorist — whose name was Horton, and
who lived at Richmond — to go with him to the War
Office and report. Therefore, both men entered the
car, and in a few moments drew up before the new
War Office in Whitehall.

" I want to see somebody in authority at once ! "
cried Fergusson excitedly to the sentry as he sprang out.

" You'll find the caretaker, if you ring at the side
entrance — on the right, there," responded the man,
who then marched on.

" The caretaker ! " echoed the excited sub-editor
bitterly. " And England invaded by the Germans ! "

He, however, dashed towards the door indicated
and rang the bell. At first there was no response.
But presently there were sounds of a slow unbolting of
the door, which opened at last, revealing a tall, elderly
man in slippers, a retired soldier.

" I must see somebody at once ! " exclaimed the
journalist. " Not a moment must be lost. What
permanent officials are here ? "

" There's nobody 'ere, sir," responded the man in
some surprise at the request. " It's Sunday morning,
you know."

" Sunday ! I know that, but I must see someone.
Whom can I see ? "

" Nobody, until to-morrow morning. Come then."
And the old soldier was about to close the door when
the journalist prevented him, asking —

" Where's the clerk-in-residence ? "

" How should I know ? Gone up the river, perhaps.
It's a nice mornin'."

" Well, where does he live ? "

" Sometimes 'ere — sometimes in 'is chambers in

THE INVASION OF 1910

Ebury Street," and the man mentioned the number.
" Better come to-morrow, sir, about eleven. Some-
body'll be sure to see you then."

" To-morrow ! " cried the other. " To-morrow !
You don't know what you're saying, man ! To-morrow
will be too late. Perhaps it's too late now. The
Germans have landed in England ! "

" Oh, 'ave they ? " exclaimed the caretaker, regard-
ing both men with considerable suspicion. " Our
people will be glad to know that, I'm sure — to-morrow."

" But haven't you got telephones, private telegraphs,
or something here, so that I can communicate with the
authorities ? Can't you ring up the Secretary of State,
the Permanent Secretary, or somebody ? "

The caretaker hesitated a moment, his incredulous
gaze fixed upon the pale, agitated faces of the two men.

" Well, just wait a minute, and I'll see," he said,
disappearing into a long cavernous passage.

In a few moments he reappeared with a constable
whose duty it was to patrol the building.

The officer looked the strangers up and down, and
then asked —

" What's this extraordinary story ? Germans landed
in England — eh ? That's fresh, certainly ! "

" Yes. Can't you hear what the newsboys are
crying ? Listen ! " exclaimed the motorist.

" H'm. Well, you're not the first gentleman who's
been here with a scare, you know. If I were you I'd
wait till to-morrow," and he glanced significantly at the
caretaker.

" I won't wait till to-morrow ! " cried Fergusson.
" The country is in peril, and you refuse to assist me
on your own responsibility — you understand ? "

" All right, my dear sir," replied the officer, leisurely
hooking his thumbs in his belt. " You'd better drive
home, and call again in the morning."

" So this is the way the safety of the country is
neglected ! " cried the motorist bitterly, turning away.
" Everyone away, and this great place, built merely

THE SURPRISE

to gull the public, I suppose, empty and its machinery
useless. What will England say when she learns the
truth ? "

As they were walking in disgust out from the portico
towards the car, a man jumped from a hansom in breath-
less haste. He was the reporter whom Fergusson had
sent out to Sir James Taylor's house in Cleveland Square,
Hyde Park.

" They thought Sir James spent the night with his
brother up at Hampstead," he exclaimed. " I've been
there, but find that he's away for the week-end at
Chilham Hall, near Buckden."

" Buckden ! That's on the Great North Road ! "
cried Horton. " We'll go at once and find him. Sixty
miles from London. We can be there under two hours ! "

And a few minutes later the pair were tearing due
north in the direction of Finchley, disregarding the
signs from police constables to stop, Horton wiping
the dried mud from his goggles and pulling them over
his half-closed eyes,

They had given the alarm in London, and the Weekly
Dispatch was spreading the amazing news everywhere.
People read it eagerly, gasped for a moment, and then
smiled in utter disbelief. But the two men were on
their way to reveal the appalling truth to the man
who was one of the heads of that complicated machinery
of inefficient defence which we so proudly term our Army.

Bursting with the astounding information, they
bent their heads to the wind as the car shot onward
through Barnet and Hatfield, then, entering Hitchin,
they were compelled to slow down in the narrow street
as they passed the old Sun Inn, and afterwards out
again upon the broad highway with its many telegraph
lines, through Biggleswade, Tempsford, and Eaton
Socon, until, in Buckden, Horton pulled up to inquire
of a farm labourer for Chilham Hall.

" Oop yon road to the left, sir. 'Bout a mile Hunt-
ingdon way," was the man's reply.

Then away they sped, turning a few minutes later

THE INVASION OF 1910

into the handsome lodge-gates of Chilham Park, and
running up the great elm avenue, drew up before the
main door of the ancient hall, a quaint many-gabled
old place of grey stone.

" Is Sir James Taylor in ? " Fergusson shouted to
the liveried man who opened the door.

" He's gone across the home farm with his lordship
and the keepers," was the reply.

" Then take me to him at once. I haven't a second
to lose. I must see him this instant."

Thus urged, the servant conducted the pair across
the park and through several fields to the edge of a
small wood, where two elderly men were walking with
a couple of keepers and several dogs about them.

" The tall gentleman is Sir James. The other is
his lordship," the servant explained to Fergusson ;
and a few moments later the breathless journalist,
hurrying up, faced the Permanent Under-Secretary
with the news that England was invaded — that the
Germans had actually effected a surprise landing on the
east coast.

Sir James and his host stood speechless. Like
others, they at first believed the pale-faced, bearded
sub-editor to be a lunatic, but a few moments later,
when Horton briefly repeated the story, they saw that
whatever might have occurred, the two men were at
least in deadly earnest.

" Impossible ! " cried Sir James. " We should surely
have heard something of it if such were actually the
case ! The coastguard would have telephoned the
news instantly. Besides, where is our fleet ? "

" The Germans evidently laid their plans with great
cleverness. Their spies, already in England, cut the
wires at a pre-arranged hour last night," declared
Fergusson. " They sought to prevent this gentleman
from giving the alarm by shooting him. All the rail-
ways to London are already either cut, or held by the
enemy. One thing, however, is clear — fleet or no fleet,
the east coast is entirely at their mercy."

THE SURPRISE

Host and guest exchanged dark glances.

" Well, if what you say is the actual truth," ex-
claimed Sir James, " to-day is surely the blackest day
that ^England has ever known."

"%Yes, thanks to the pro-German policy of the
Government and the false assurances of the Blue Water
School. They should have listened to Lord Roberts,"
snapped his lordship. " I suppose you'll go at once,
Taylor, and make inquiries ? "

" Of course," responded the Permanent Secretary.
And a quarter of an hour later, accepting Horton's
offer, he was sitting in the car as it headed back
towards London.

Could the journalist's story be true ? As he sat
there, with his head bent against the wind and the mud
splashing into his face, Sir James recollected too well
the repeated warnings of the past five years, serious
warnings by men who knew our shortcomings, but to
which no attention had been paid. Both the Govern-
ment and the public had remained apathetic, the idea
of peril had been laughed to scorn, and the country had,
ostrich-like, buried its head in the sand, and allowed
Continental nations to supersede us in business, in
armaments, in everything.

The danger of invasion had always been ridiculed
as a mere alarmist's fiction ; those responsible for the
defence of the country had smiled, the Navy had been
reduced, and the Army had remained in contented
inefficiency.

If the blow had really been struck by Germany ?
If she had risked three or four, out of her twenty-three,
army corps, and had aimed at the heart of the British
Empire ? What then ? Ay ! what then ?

As the car swept down Regent Street into Pall Mall
and towards Whitehall, Sir James saw on every side
crowds discussing the vague but astounding reports
now published in special editions of all the Sunday
papers, and shouted wildly everywhere.

Boys bearing sheets fresh from the Fleet Street presses

THE INVASION OF 1910

were seized, and bundles torn from them by excited
Londoners eager to learn the latest intelligence.

Around both War Office and Admiralty great surging
crowds were clamouring loudly for the truth. Was it
the truth, or was it only a hoax ? Half London dis-
believed it. Yet from every quarter, from the north
and from across the bridges, thousands were pouring in
to ascertain what had really occurred, and the police
had the greatest difficulty in keeping order.

In Trafalgar Square, where the fountains were
plashing so calmly in the autumn sunlight, a shock-
headed man mounted the back of one of the lions and
harangued the crowd with much gesticulation, denounc-
ing the Government in the most violent terms ; but the
orator was ruthlessly pulled down by the police in the
midst of his fierce attack.

It was half-past two o'clock in the afternoon. The
Germans had already been on English soil ten hours,
yet London was in ignorance of where they had actually
landed, and utterly helpless.

All sorts of wild rumours were afloat, rumours that
spread everywhere throughout the metropolis, from
Hampstead to Tooting, from Barking to Hounslow,
from Willesden to Woolwich. The Germans were in
England !

But in those first moments of the astounding revela-
tion the excitement centred in Trafalgar Square and
its vicinity. Men shouted and threatened, women
shrieked and wrung their hands, while wild-haired
orators addressed groups at the street corners.

Where was our Navy ? they asked. Where was our
" command of the sea " of which the papers had always
talked so much ? If we possessed that, then surely no
invader could ever have landed ? Where was our
Army — that brave British Army that had fought
triumphantly a hundred campaigns, and which we
had been assured by the Government was always ready
for any emergency ? When would it face the invader
and drive him back into the sea ?

THE SURPRISE

When ?

And the wild, shouting crowds looked up ai the
many windows of the Admiralty and the War Ofnce,
ignorant that both those huge buildings only held
terrified caretakers and a double watch of police con-
stables.

Was England invaded ? Were foreign legions actually
overrunning Norfolk and Suffolk, and were we really
helpless beneath the iron heel of the enemy ?

It was impossible — incredible ! England was on the
most friendly terms with Germany. Yet the blow had
fallen, and London — or that portion of her that was
not enjoying its Sunday afternoon nap in the smug
respectability of the suburbs — stood amazed and breath-
less, in incredulous wonder.

CHAPTER II

EFFECT IN THE CITY

Monday, 3rd September 1910, was indeed Black Monday
for London.

By midnight on Sunday the appalling news had
spread everywhere. Though the full details of the
terrible naval disasters were not yet to hand, yet it was
vaguely known that our ships had been defeated in the
North Sea, and many of them sunk.

Before 7 a.m. on Monday, however, telegrams reach-
ing London by the subterranean lines from the north
gave thrilling stories of frightful disasters we had, while
all unconscious, suffered at the hands of the German
fleet.

With London, the great cities of the north. Liverpool,
Manchester, Sheffield, and Birmingham, awoke utterly
dazed. It seemed incredible. And yet the enemy had,
by his sudden and stealthy blow, secured command of
the sea and actually landed.

The public wondered why a formal declaration of
war had not previously been made, ignorant of the fact
that the declaration preceding the Franco-German War
was the first made by any civilised nation prior to
the commencement of hostilities for one hundred and
seventy years. The peril of the nation was now
recognised on every hand.

Eager millions poured into the City by every train
from the suburbs and towns in the vicinity of the
metropolis, anxious to ascertain the truth for them-
selves, pale with terror, wild with excitement, indignant

EFFECT IN THE CITY

that our land forces were not already mobilised and
ready to move eastward to meet the invader.

As soon as the banks were opened there was a run on
them, but by noon the Bank of England had suspended
all specie payments. The other banks, being thus
unable to meet their engagements, simply closed the
doors, bringing business to an abrupt standstill. Consols
stood at 90 on Saturday, but by noon on Monday were
down to 42 — lower even than they were in 1798, when
they stood at 47 \. Numbers of foreigners tried to
speculate heavily, but were unable to do so, for banking
being suspended they could not obtain transfers.

On the Stock Exchange the panic in the afternoon
was indescribable. Securities of every sort went entirely
to pieces, and there were no buyers. Financiers were
surprised that no warning in London had betrayed the
position of affairs, London being the money centre of
the world. Prior to 1870 Paris shared with London the
honour of being the pivot of the money market, but on
the suspension of cash payments by the Bank of France
during the Franco-German War, Paris lost that position.
Had it not been that the milliards comprising the French
War indemnity were intact in golden louis in the fortress
of Spandau, Germany could never have hoped to wage
sudden war with Great Britain before she had made
Berlin independent of London in a money sense, or, at
any rate, to accumulate sufficient gold to carry on the
war for at least twelve months. The only way in which
she could have done this was to raise her rate so as to
offer better terms than London. Yet directly the Bank
of England discovered the rate of exchange going
against her, and her stock of gold diminishing, she
would have responded by raising the English bank-rate in
order to check the flow. Thus competition would have
gone on until the rates became so high that all business
would be checked, and people would have realised
their securities to obtain the necessary money to carry
on their affairs. Thus, no doubt, the coming war would
have been forecasted had it not been for Germany's

THE INVASION OF 1910

already prepared war-chest, which the majority of persons
have nowadays overlooked. Its possession had enabled
Germany to strike her sudden blow, and now the Bank
of England, which is the final reserve of gold in the
United Kindgom, found that as notes were cashed so
the stock of gold diminished until it was in a few hours
compelled to obtain from the Government suspension of
the Bank Charter. This enabled the Bank to suspend
cash payment, and issue notes without a corresponding
deposit of the equivalent in gold.

The suspension, contrary to increasing the panic,
had, curiously enough, the immediate effect of somewhat
allaying it. Plenty of people in the City were confident
that the blow aimed could not prove an effective one,
and that the Germans, however many might have landed,
would quickly be sent back again. Thus many level-
headed business men regarded the position calmly,
believing that when our command of the sea was again
re-established, as it must be in a day or two, the enemy
would soon be non-existent.

Business outside the money market was, of course,
utterly demoralised. The buying of necessities was
now uppermost in everyone's mind. Excited crowds
in the streets caused most of the shops in the City and
West End to close, while around the Admiralty were
great crowds of eager men and women of all classes,
tearful wives of bluejackets jostling with officers' ladies
from Mayfair and Belgravia, demanding news of their
loved ones — inquiries which, alas! the casualty ofhce
were unable to satisfy. The scene of grief, terror, and
suspense was heartrending. Certain ships were known
to have been sunk with all on board after making a
gallant fight, and those who had husbands, brothers,
lovers, or fathers on board wept loudly, calling upon the
Government to avenge the ruthless murder of their
loved ones.

In Manchester, in Liverpool, indeed all through the
great manufacturing centres of the north, the excitement
of London was reflected.

EFFECT IN THE CITY

In Manchester there was a panic " on 'Change," and
the crowd in Deansgate coming into collision with a
force of mounted police, some rioting occurred, and a
number of shop windows broken, while several agitators
who attempted to speak in front of^the Infirmary were
at once arrested.

Liverpool was the scene of intense anxiety and
excitement, when a report was spread that German
cruisers were about the estuary of the Mersey. It was
known that the coal staithes, cranes, and petroleum
tanks at Penarth, Cardiff, Barry, and Llanelly had been
destroyed ; that Aberdeen had been bombarded ; and
there were rumours that notwithstanding the mines and
defences of the Mersey, the city of Liverpool, with all its
crowd of valuable shipping, was to share the same fate.

The whole place was in a ferment. By eleven o'clock
the stations were crowded by women and children sent
by the men away into the country — anywhere from the
doomed and defenceless city. The Lord Mayor vainly
endeavoured to inspire confidence, but telegrams from
London announcing the complete financial collapse, only
increased the panic. In the Old Hay Market and up
Dale Street to the landing-stages, around the Exchange,
the Town Hall, and the Custom House, the excited
throng surged, talking eagerly, terrified at the awful
blow that was prophesied. At any moment the grey
hulls of those death-dealing cruisers might appear in
the river ; at any moment the first shell might fall
and burst in their midst.

Some — the wiseacres — declared that the Germans
would never shell a city without first demanding an
indemnity, but the majority argued that as they had
already disregarded the law of nations in attacking our
fleet without provocation, they would bombard Liver-
pool, destroy the shipping, and show no quarter.

Thus during the whole of the day Liverpool existed
in hourly terror of destruction.

London remained breathless, wondering what was
about to happen. Every hour the morning news-

24 THE INVASION OF 1910

papers continued to issue special editions, contain-
ing all the latest facts procurable regarding the great
naval disaster. The telegraphs and telephones to the
north were constantly at work, and survivors of a
destroyer who had landed at St. Abb's, north of Berwick,
gave thrilling and terrible narratives.

A shilling a copy was no unusual price to be paid in
Cornhill, Moorgate Street, Lombard Street, or Ludgate
Hill for a halfpenny paper, and the newsboys reaped rich
harvests, except when, as so often happened, they were
set upon by the excited crowd, and their papers torn
from them.

Fleet Street was entirely blocked, and the traffic
stopped by crowds standing before the newspaper offices
waiting for the summary of each telegram to be posted
up upon the windows. And as each despatch was read,
sighs, groans, and curses were heard on every hand.

The Government — the sleek-mannered, soft-spoken,
self-confident Blue Water School — were responsible for
it all, was declared on every hand. They should have
placed the Army upon a firm and proper footing ; they
should have encouraged the establishment of rifle clubs
to teach every young man how to defend his home ; they
should have pondered over the thousand and one
warnings uttered during the past ten years by eminent
men, statesmen, soldiers, and writers : they should have
listened to those forcible and eloquent appeals of Earl
Roberts, England's military hero, who, having left the
service, had no axe to grind. He spoke the truth in the
House of Lords in 1906 fearlessly, from patriotic motives,
because he loved his country and foresaw its doom. And
yet the Government and the public had disregarded his
ominous words.

And now the blow he prophesied had fallen. It was
too late — too late ! The Germans were upon English
soil.

What would the Government now do ? What,
indeed, could it do ?

There were some who shouted in bravado that when

EFFECT IN THE CITY

mobilised the British troops would drive the invader into
the sea ; but such men were unaware of the length of
time necessary to mobilise our Army for home defence
— or of the many ridiculous regulations which appear to
be laid down for the purpose of hindering rather than
accelerating the concentration of forces.

All through the morning, amid the chaos of business
in the City, the excitement had been steadily growing,
until shortly after three o'clock the Daily Mail issued a
special edition containing a copy of a German proclama-
tion which, it was said, was now posted everywhere in
East Norfolk, East Suffolk, and in Maldon in Essex,
already occupied by the enemy.

The original proclamation had been found pasted by
some unknown hand upon a barn door near the town of
Billericay, and had been detached and brought to London
in a motor-car by the Mail's correspondent.

It showed plainly the German intention was to deal
a hard and crushing blow, and it struck terror into the
heart of London, for it read as will be seen on next page.

Upon the walls of the Mansion House, the Guildhall,
outside the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange, and
upon the various public buildings within the City wards
a proclamation by the Lord Mayor quickly appeared.
Even upon the smoke-blackened walls of St. Paul's
Cathedral, where, at that moment, a special service was
being held, big posters were being posted and read by the
assembled thousands.

There was a sullen gloom everywhere as the hours
went slowly by, and the sun sank into the smoke haze,
shedding over the giant city a blood-red afterglow —
a light that was ominous in those breathless moments of
suspense and terror.

Westward beyond Temple Bar proclamations were
being posted. Indeed, upon all the hoardings in Greater
London appeared various broadsheets side by side.
One by the Chief Commissioner of Police, regulating
the traffic in the streets, and appealing to the public to
assist in the preservation of order ; another by the Mayor

PROCLAMATION.

WE, GENERAL COMMANDING THE 3rd GERMAN ARMY,

HAVING SEEN the proclamation/of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor William,
King of Prussia, Chief of the Army, which authorises the generals commanding the
different German Army Corps to establish special measures against all municipalities
and persons acting in contradiction to the usages of war, and to take what steps they
consider necessary for the well-being of the troops,

HEREBY GIVE PUBLIC NOTICE:

(1) THE MILITARY JURISDICTION is hereby established. It applies to
all territory of Great Britain occupied by the German Army, and to every action
endangering the security of the troops by rendering assistance to the enemy. The
Military Jurisdiction will be announced and placed vigorously in force in every
parish by the issue of this present proclamation.

(2) ANY PERSON OR PERSONS NOT BEING BRITISH SOLDIERS,
or not showing by their dress that they are soldiers :

(a) SERVING THE ENEMY as spies ;

(!>) MISLEADING THE GERMAN TROOPS when charged to serve as guides ;

German Army, or forming part of its personnel ;

(d) DESTROYING BRIDGES OR CANALS, damaging telegraphs, tele-

phones, electric light wires, gasometers, or railways, interfering with roads,
setting fire to munitions of war, provisions, or quarters established by
German troops ;
(<?) TAKING ARMS against the German troops,

WILL BE PUNISHED BY DEATH.

IN EACH CASE the officer presiding at the Council of War will be charged with
the trial, and pronounce judgment. Councils of War may not pronounce ANY
OTHER CONDEMNATION SAVE THAT OF DEATH.

THE JUDGMENT WILL BE IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED.

(3) TOWNS OR VILLAGES in the territory in which the contravention takes
place will be compelled to pay indemnity equal to one year's revenue.

(4) THE INHABITANTS MUST FURNISH necessaries for the German
troops daily as follows :—

1 lb. 10 oz. bread. 1 oz. tea. ii pints beer, or 1 wine-

13 oz. meat. ih oz. tobacco or 5 cigars. glassful of brandy or

3 lb. potatoes. J pint wine. whisky.

The ration for each horse : —

13 lb. oats. 3 lb. 6 oz. hay. 3 lb. 6 oz. straw.

(ALL PERSONS WHO PREFER to pay an indemnity in money may do so at
the rate of 2s. per day per man.)

(5) COMMANDERS OF DETACHED corps have the right to requisition all
that they consider necessary for the well-being of their men, and will deliver to the
inhabitants official receipts for goods so supplied.

WE HOPE IN CONSEQUENCE that the inhabitants of Great Britain will
make no difficulty in furnishing all that may be considered necessary.

(6) AS REGARDS the individual transactions between the troops and the
inhabitants, we give notice that one German mark shall be considered the equivalent
to one English shilling.

The General Commanding: the Ninth German Army Corps,
VON KRONHELM.

Beccles, September the Third, 1910.

EFFECT IN THE CITY

of Westminster, couched in similar terms to that of the
Lord Mayor ; and a Royal Proclamation, brief but
noble, urging every Briton to do his duty, to take his
part in the defence of King and country, and to unfurl
the banner of the British Empire that had hitherto
carried peace and civilisation in every quarter of the
world. Germany, whose independence had been re-
spected, had attacked us without provocation ; there-
fore hostilities were, alas, inevitable.

When the great poster printed in big capitals and
headed by the Royal Arms made its appearance it was
greeted with wild cheering.

It was a message of love from King to people — a
message to the highest and to the lowest. Posted in
Whitechapel at the same hour as in Whitehall, the
throngs crowded eagerly about it and sang " God Save
our Gracious King," for if they had but little confidence
in the War Office and Admiralty, they placed their trust
in their Sovereign, the first diplomat in Europe. There-
fore the loyalty was spontaneous, as it always is. They
read the royal message, and cheered and cheered again.

As evening closed in yet another poster made its
appearance in every city, town, and village in the country,
a poster issued by military and police officers and naval
officers in charge of dockyards — the order for mobilisation.

The public, however, little dreamed of the hopeless
confusion in the War Office, in the various regimental
depots throughout the country, at headquarters every-
where, and in every barracks in the kingdom. The
armed forces of England were passing from a peace to a
war footing ; but the mobilisation of the various units —
namely, its completion in men, horses, and material —
was utterly impossible in the face of the extraordinary
regulations which, kept a strict secret by the Council of
Defence until this moment, revealed a hopeless state
of things.

The disorder was frightful. Not a regiment was
found fully equipped and ready to march. There was
a dearth of officers, equipment, horses, provisions, of,

THE INVASION OF 1910

indeed, everything. Some regiments simply existed in
the pages of the Army List, but when they came to
appear on parade they were mere paper phantoms.
Since the Boer War the Government had, with culpable
negligence, disregarded the needs of the Army, even
though they had the object-lesson of the struggle between
Russia and Japan before their eyes.

In many cases the well-meaning efforts on the part
of volunteers proved merely a ludicrous farce. Volun-
teers from Glasgow found themselves due to proceed to
Dorking, in Surrey ; those from Aberdeen were expected
at Caterham, while those from Carlisle made a start for
Reading, and found themselves in the quiet old city of
Durham. And in a hundred cases it was the same.
Muddle, confusion, and a chain of useless regulations at
Aldershot, Colchester, and York all tended to hinder
the movement of troops to their points of concentration,
bringing home to the authorities at last the ominous
warnings of the unheeded critics of the past.

In that hour of England's deadly peril, when not a
moment should have been lost in facing the invader,
nothing was ready. Men had guns without ammunition ;
cavalry and artillery were without horses ; engineers only
half-equipped ; volunteers with no transport whatever ;
balloon sections without balloons, and searchlight units
vainly trying to obtain the necessary instruments.

Horses were being requisitioned everywhere. The few
horses that, in the age of motor-cars, now remained on
the roads in London were quickly taken for draught, and
all horses fit to ride were commandeered for the cavalry.

During the turmoil daring German spies were
actively at work south of London. The South-
ampton line of the London and South - Western
Railway was destroyed — with explosives placed by
unknown hands — by the bridge over the Wey, near
Weybridge, being blown up, and again that over the
Mole, between Walton and Esher, while the Reading
line was cut by the great bridge over the Thames at
Staines being destroyed. The line, too, between

EFFECT IN THE CITY

Guildford and Waterloo was also rendered impassable
by the wreck of the midnight train, which was blown up
half-way between Wansborough and Guildford, while
in several other places nearer London bridges were
rendered unstable by dynamite, the favourite method
apparently being to blow the crown out of an arch.

The well-laid plans of the enemy were thus quickly
revealed. Among the thousands of Germans working in
London, the hundred or so spies, all trusted soldiers, had
passed unnoticed, but, working in unison, each little
group of two or three had been allotted its task, and had
previously thoroughly reconnoitred the position and
studied the most rapid or effective means.

The railways to the east and north-east coasts all
reported wholesale damage done on Sunday night by
the advance agents of the enemy, and now this was
continued on the night of Monday in the south, the
objective being to hinder troops from moving north
from Aldershot. This was, indeed, effectual, for only
by a long detour could the troops be moved to the
northern defences of London, and while many were
on Tuesday entrained, others were conveyed to London
by the motor-omnibuses sent down for that purpose.

Everywhere through London and its vicinity, as
well as in Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Coventry,
Leeds, and Liverpool, motor-cars and motor-omnibuses
from dealers and private owners were being requisi-
tioned by the military authorities, for they would, it
was believed, replace cavalry to a very large extent.

Wild and extraordinary reports were circulated
regarding the disasters in the north. Hull, Newcastle,
Gateshead, and Tynemouth had, it was believed, been
bombarded and sacked. The shipping in the Tyne
was burning, and the Elswick works were held by the
enemy. Details were, however, very vague, as the
Germans were taking every precaution to prevent
information reaching London.

CHAPTER III

NEWS OF THE ENEMY

Terror and excitement reigned everywhere. The
wildest rumours were hourly afloat. London was a
seething stream of breathless multitudes of every class.

On Monday morning the newspapers throughout
the kingdom had devoted greater part of their space to
the extraordinary intelligence from Norfolk and Suffolk
and Essex and other places.

That we were actually invaded was plain, but
most of the newspapers happily preserved a calm,
dignified tone, and made no attempt at sensationalism.
The situation was far too serious.

Like the public, however, the Press had been taken
entirely by surprise. The blow had been so sudden
and so staggering that half the alarming reports were
discredited.

In addition to the details of the enemy's opera-
tions, as far as could as yet be ascertained, the
Morning Post on Monday contained an account of a
mysterious occurrence at Chatham, which read as
follows : —

"Chatham, Sept. i (11.30 p.m.).

" An extraordinary accident took place on the
Medway about eight o'clock this evening. The steamer
Pole Star, 1200 tons register, with a cargo of cement
from Frindsbury, was leaving for Hamburg and came
into collision with the Frauenlob, of Bremen, a somewhat
larger boat, which was inward bound, in a narrow part

NEWS OF THE ENEMY

of the channel about half-way between Chatham and
Sheerness. Various accounts of the mishap are current,
but whichever of the vessels was responsible for the
bad steering or neglect of the ordinary rules of the
road, it is certain that the Frauenlob was cut into
by the stem of the Pole Star on her port bow, and sank
almost across the channel. The Pole Star swung
alongside her after the collision, and very soon after-
wards sank in an almost parallel position. Tugs and
steamboats carrying a number of naval officers and
the port authorities are about to proceed to the scene
of the accident, and if, as seems probable, there is no
chance of raising the vessels, steps will be at once
taken to blow them up. In the present state of our
foreign relations such an obstruction directly across
the entrance to one of our principal warports is a national
danger, and will not be allowed to remain a moment
longer than can be helped."

"Sept. 2.

" An extraordinary denotiement has followed the
collision in the Medway reported in my telegram of
last night, which renders it impossible to draw any
other conclusion than that the affair is anything but
an accident. Everything now goes to prove that
the whole business was premeditated and was the
result of an organised plot with the object of 6 bottling
up ' the numerous men-of-war that are now being
hurriedly equipped for service in Chatham Dockyard.
In the words of Scripture, ' An enemy hath done this,'
and there can be very little doubt as to the quarter
from which the outrage was engineered. It is nothing
less than an outrage to perpetrate what is in reality
an overt act of hostility in a time of profound peace,
however much the political horizon may be darkened
by lowering war clouds. We are living under a Govern-
ment whose leader lost no time in announcing that
no fear of being sneered at as a ' Little Englander '
would deter him from seeking peace and ensuring it

THE INVASION OF 1910

by a reduction of our naval and military armaments,
even at that time known to be inadequate to the demands
likely to be made upon them if our Empire is to be main-
tained. We trust, however, that even this parochially
minded statesman will lose no time in probing the
conspiracy to its depths, and in seeking instant satis-
faction from those personages, however highly placed
and powerful, who have committed this outrage on the
laws of civilisation.

" As soon as the news of the collision reached the
dockyard the senior officer at Kethole Reach was
ordered by wire to take steps to prevent any vessel
from going up the river, and he at once despatched
several picket-boats to the entrance to warn in-coming
ships of the blocking of the channel, while a couple
of other boats were sent up to within a short distance
of the obstruction to make assurance doubly sure.
The harbour signals ordering ' suspension of all mov-
ings,' were also hoisted at Garrison Point.

" Among other ships which were stopped in conse-
quence of these measures was the Van Gysen, a big
steamer hailing from Rotterdam, laden, it was stated,
with steel rails for the London, Chatham, and Dover
Railway, which were to be landed at Port Victoria.
She was accordingly allowed to proceed, and anchored,
or appeared to anchor, just off the railway pier at that
place. Ten minutes later the officer of the watch
on board H.M.S. Medici reported that he thought she
was getting under way again. It was then pretty
dark. An electric searchlight being switched on, the
Van Gysen was discovered steaming up the river at a
considerable speed. The Medici flashed the news to
the flagship, which at once fired a gun, hoisted the
recall, and the Van Gysen' 's number in the international
code, and despatched her steam pinnace, with orders
to overhaul the Dutchman and stop him at whatever
cost. A number of the marines on guard were sent
in her with their rifles.

" The Van Gysen seemed well acquainted with the

NEWS OF THE ENEMY

channel, and continually increased her speed as she
went up the river, so that she was within half a mile
of the scene of the accident before the steamboat came
up with her. The officer in charge called to the skipper
through his megaphone to stop his engines and to
throw him a rope, as he wanted to come on board. After
pretending for some time not to understand him, the
skipper slowed his engines and said, ' Ver vel, come
'longside gangway.' As the pinnace hooked on at
the gangway, a heavy iron cylinder cover was dropped
into her from the height of the Van Gy serfs deck. It
knocked the bowman overboard and crashed into the
fore part of the boat, knocking a big hole in the port
side forward. She swung off at an angle and stopped
to pick up the man overboard. Her crew succeeded
in rescuing him, but she was making water fast, and
there was nothing for it but to run her into the bank.
The lieutenant in charge ordered a rifle to be fired at
the Van Gysen to bring her to, but she paid not the
smallest attention, as might have been expected, and
went on her way with gathering speed.

" The report, however, served to attract the attention
of the two picket-boats which were patrolling up the
river. As she turned a bend in the stream they both
shot up alongside out of the darkness, and ordered
her peremptorily to stop. But the only answer they
received was the sudden extinction of all lights in the
steamer. They kept alongside, or rather one of them
did, but they were quite helpless to stay the progress
of the big wall-sided steamer. The faster of the picket-
boats shot ahead with the object of warning those
who were busy examining the wrecks. But the Van
Gysen, going all she knew, was close behind, an indis-
tinguishable black blur in the darkness, and hardly
had the officer in the picket-boat delivered his warning
before she was heard close at hand. Within a couple
of hundred yards of the two wrecks she slowed down,
for fear of running right over them. On she came,
inevitable as Fate. There was a crash as she came into

THE INVASION OF 1910

collision with the central deck-houses of the Frauenlob
and as her bows scraped past the funnel of the Pole Star.
Then followed no fewer than half a dozen muffled
reports. Her engines went astern for a moment, and
down she settled athwart the other two steamers,
heeling over to port as she did so. All was turmoil and
confusion. None of the dockyard and naval craft
present were equipped with searchlights. The harbour-
master, the captain of the yard, even the admiral
superintendent, who had just come down in his steam
launch, all bawled out orders.

"Lights were flashed and lanterns swung up and
downjin the vain endeavour to see more of what had
happened. Two simultaneous shouts of ' Man over-
board ! ' came from tugs and boats at opposite sides
of the river. When a certain amount of order was re-
stored it was discovered that a big dockyard tug was
settling down by the head. It seems she had been
grazed by the Van Gysen as she came over the obstruc-
tion, and forced against some portion of one of the
foundered vessels, which had pierced a hole in her below
the water-line.

" In the general excitement the damage had not been
discovered, and now she was sinking fast. Hawsers
were made fast to her with the utmost expedition pos-
sible in order to tow her clear of the piled-up wreckage,
but it was too late. There was only just time to
rescue her crew before she, too, added herself to the
under- water barricade. As for the crew of the Van
Gysen, it is thought that all must have gone down in
her, as no trace of them has as yet been discovered,
despite a most diligent search, for it was considered
that, in an affair which had been so carefully planned
as this certainly must have been, some provision must
surely have been made for the escape of the crew.
Those who have been down at the scene of the disaster
report that it will be impossible to clear the channel
in less than a week or ten days, using every resource
of the dockyard.

NEWS OF THE ENEMY

" A little later I thought I would go down to the
dockyard on the off-chance of picking up any further
information. The Metropolitan policemen at the gate
would on no account allow me to pass at that hour,
and I was just turning away when by a great piece of
good fortune I ran up against Commander Shelley.

" I was on board his ship as correspondent during
the manoeuvres of the year before last. 4 And what
are you doing down here ? ' was his very natural in-
quiry after we had shaken hands. I told him that I
had been down in Chatham for a week past as special
correspondent, reporting on the half-hearted prepara-
tions being made for the possible mobilisation, and took
the opportunity of asking him if he could give me any
further information about the collision between the
three steamers in the Medway. ' Well,' said he, 6 the
best thing you can do is to come right along with me.
I have just been hawked out of bed to superintend the
diving operations which will begin the moment there
is a gleam of daylight.' Needless to say, this just
suited me, and I hastened to thank him and to accept
his kind offer. ' All right,' he said, ' but I shall have
to make one small condition.'

" ' And that is ? ' I queried.

" ' Merely to let me " censor " your telegrams before
you send them,' he returned. ' You see, the Ad-
miralty might not like to have too much said about
this business, and I don't want to find myself in the
dirt-tub.'

"The stipulation was a most reasonable one, and
however I disliked the notion of having probably my
best paragraphs eliminated, I could not . but assent to
my friend's proposition. So away we marched down
the echoing spaces of the almost deserted dockyard till
we arrived at the Thunderbolt pontoon. Here lay a
pinnace with steam up, and, lighted down the sloping
side of the old ironclad by the lantern of the policeman
on duty, we stepped on board and shot out into the
centre of the stream. We blew our whistles and the

THE INVASION OF 1910

coxswain waved a lantern, whereupon a small tug that
had a couple of dockyard lighters attached gave a
hoarse 6 toot ' in response, and followed us down the
river. We sped along in the darkness against a strong
tide that was making up-stream, past Upnor Castle,
that quaint old Tudor fortress with its long line of
modern powder magazines, and along under the deeper
shadows beneath Hoo Woods till we came abreast of
the medley of mud flats and grass-grown islets just
beyond them. Here, above the thud of the engines
and the plash of the water, a thin, long-drawn-out cry
wavered through the night. ' Someone hailing the
boat, sir,' reported the lookout forward. We had all
heard it. ' Ease down,' ordered Shelley, and hardly
moving against the rushing tideway we listened for its
repetition. Again the voice was raised in quavering
supplication. ' What the dickens does he say ? '
queried the commander. fi It's German,' I answered.
'I know that language well. I think he's asking for
help. May I answer him ? '

" 6 By all means. Perhaps he belongs to one of those
steamers.' The same thought was in my own mind.
I hailed in return, asking where he was and what he
wanted. The answer came back that he was a ship-
wrecked seaman, who was cold, wet, and miserable,
and implored to be taken off from the islet where he
found himself, cut off from everywhere by water and
darkness. We ran the boat's nose into the bank, and
presently succeeded in hauling on board a miserable
object, wet through, and plastered from head to foot
with black Med way mud. The broken remains of a
cork life-belt hung from his shoulders. A dram of
whisky somewhat revived him. ' And now,' said
Shelley, ' you'd better cross-examine him. We may
get something out of the fellow.' The foreigner,
crouched down shivering in the stern-sheets half covered
with a yellow oilskin that some charitable bluejacket
had thrown over him, appeared to me in the light of
the lantern that stood on the deck before him to be

NEWS OF THE ENEMY

not only suffering from cold, but from terror. A few
moments' conversation with him confirmed my sus-
picions. I turned to Shelley and exclaimed, ' He says
he'll tell us everything if we spare his life,' I explained.
' I'm sure I don't want to shoot the chap,' replied
the commander. 'I suppose he's implicated in this
" bottling up " affair. If he is, he jolly well deserves
it, but I don't suppose anything will be done to him.
Anyway, his information may be valuable, and so you
may tell him that he is all right as far as I'm concerned,
and I will do my best for him with the Admiral. I
daresay that will satisfy him. If not, you might
threaten him a bit. Tell him anything you like if you
think it will make him speak.' To cut a long story
short, I found the damp Dutchman amenable to reason,
and the following is the substance of what I elicited
from him*

" He had been a deck hand on board the Van Gysen.
When she left Rotterdam he did not know that the
trip was anything out of the way. There was a new
skipper whom he had not seen before, and there were
also two new mates with a new chief engineer. Another
steamer followed them all the way till they arrived at
the Nore. On the way over he and several other
seamen were sent for by the captain and asked if they
would volunteer for a dangerous job, promising them
£50 a-piece if it came off all right. He and five others
agreed, as did two or three stokers, and were then
ordered to remain aft and not communicate with any
others of the crew. Off the Nore all the remainder
were transferred to the following steamer, which steamed
off to the eastward. After they were gone the selected
men were told that the officers all belonged to the
Imperial German Navy, and by orders of the Kaiser
were about to attempt to block up the Medway.

" A collision between two other ships had been ar-
ranged for, one of which was loaded with a mass of old
steel rails into which liquid cement had been run, so
that her hold contained a solid impenetrable block.

THE INVASION OF 1910

The Van Gysen carried a similar cargo, and was pro-
vided with an arrangement for blowing holes in her
bottom. The crew were provided with life-belts and
the half of the money promised, and all except the
captain, the engineer, and the two mates dropped over-
board just before arriving at the sunken vessels. They
were advised to make their way to Gravesend, and
then to shift for themselves as best they could. He
had found himself on a small island, and could not
muster up courage to plunge into the cold water again
in the darkness.

" ' By Jove ! This means war with Germany, man !
— War ! ' was Shelley's comment. At two o'clock this
afternoon we knew that it did, for the news of the
enemy's landing in Norfolk was signalled down from
the dockyard. We also knew from the divers that the
cargo of the sunken steamers was what the rescued
seaman had stated it to be. Our bottle has been fairly
well corked."

This amazing revelation showed how cleverly con-
trived was the German plan of hostilities. All our
splendid ships at Chatham had, in that brief half -hour,
been bottled up and rendered utterly useless. Yet the
authorities were not blameless in the matter, for in
November 1905 a foreign warship actually came up
the Medway in broad daylight, and was not noticed
until she began to bang away her salutes, much to the
utter consternation of everyone !

This incident, however, was but one of the many
illustrations of Germany's craft and cunning. The
whole scheme had been years in careful preparation.

She intended to invade us, and regarded every
stratagem as allowable in her sudden dash upon England,
an expedition which promised to result in the most
desperate war of modern times.

At that moment the Globe reproduced those plain,
prophetic words of Lord Overstone, written some years
before to the Royal Defence Commission : " Negligence

NEWS OF THE ENEMY

alone can bring about the calamity under discussion.
Unless we suffer ourselves to be surprised we cannot
be invaded with success. It is useless to discuss what
will occur or what can be done after London has fallen
into the hands of an invading foe. The apathy which
may render the occurrence of such a catastrophe possible
will not afterwards enable the country, enfeebled, dis-
pirited, and disorganised by the loss of its capital, to
redeem the fatal error."

Was that prophecy to be fulfilled ?

Some highly interesting information was given by
Lieutenant Charles Hammerton, ist Volunteer Battalion
Suffolk Regiment, of Ipswich, who with his company
of Volunteer cyclists reconnoitred the enemy's position
in East Suffolk during Monday night. Interviewed
by the Ipswich correspondent of the Central News, he
said :

" We left Ipswich at eight o'clock in order to recon-
noitre all the roads and by-roads in the direction of
Lowestoft. For the first twelve miles, as far as Wickham
Market, we knew that the country was clear of the
enemy, but on cautiously entering Saxmundham — it
now being quite dark — we pulled up before Gobbett's
shop in the High Street, and there learnt from a group
of terrified men and women that a German reconnoitring
patrol consisting of a group of about ten Uhlans under a
sergeant, and supported by other groups all across the
country to Framlingham and Tannington, had been in
the town all day, holding the main road to Lowestoft,
and watching in the direction of Ipswich. For hours
they had patrolled the south end opposite Waller's,
upon whose wall they posted a copy of Von Kronhelm's
proclamation.

" They threatened to shoot any person attempting
to move southward out of the town. Three other
Germans were on the old church tower all day
making signals northward at intervals. Then, as night
closed in, the Uhlans refreshed themselves at the Bell,
and with their black and white pennants fluttering

PROCLAMATION

CITIZENS OF LONDON.

THE NEWS OF THE BOMBARDMENT of the
City of Newcastle and the landing of the German Army
at Hull, Weybourne, Yarmouth, and other places along
the East Coast is unfortunately confirmed.

THE ENEMY'S INTENTION is to march upon
the City of London, which must be resolutely defended.

THE BRITISH NATION and the Citizens of
London, in face of these great events, must be energetic
in order to vanquish the invader.

The ADVANCE must be CHALLENGED FOOT
BY FOOT. The people must fight for King and
Country.

Great Britain is not yet dead, for indeed, the more
serious her danger, the stronger will be her unanimous
patriotism.

GOD SAVE THE KING.

HARRISON, Lord Mayor.

Mansion House,
London, September yd, 1910.

THE LORD MAYOR'S APPEAL TO LONDON.

NEWS OF THE ENEMY

from their lances, clattered backward in the direction of
Yoxford.

" I had sent scouts off the main road from Wood-
bridge, through Framlingham, Tannington, and Wilby,
with orders to push on if possible to Hoxne, to join the
main road to Harleston, which I judged must be on the
enemy's flank. Each man knew those difficult cross-
roads well, which was necessary, we having to travel
noiselessly without lights.

" In the bar-parlour of the Bell at Saxmundham
we held consultation with a sergeant of police and
a couple of constables, from whom we gathered some
further information, and then decided to push cautiously
north and ascertain into what positions the Uhlans
had retired for the night, and, if possible, the where-
abouts of the enemy's march outposts. I had
with me twelve men. Nine of us were in uniform,
including myself, but the other four preferred to go
in mufti, though warned of the risk that they might
be treated as spies.

" Carefully, and in silence, we got past the cross-
road, to Kelsale, on past the Red House, and down
into Yoxford village, without meeting a soul. We were
told in Yoxford by the excited villagers that there
were foreign soldiers and motor-cyclists constantly
passing and repassing all day, but that soon after seven
o'clock they had all suddenly retired by the road leading
back to Haw Wood. Whether they had gone to the
right ^to Blythburgh, or to the left to Halesworth, was,
however, unknown. Our expedition was a most risky
one. We knew that we carried our lives in our hands,
and yet the War Office and the whole country were
anxiously waiting for the information which we hoped
to gain. Should we push on ? I put it to my com-
panions— brave fellows every one of them, even though
the Volunteers have, so often been sneered at — and
the decision was unanimous that we should reconnoitre
at all costs.

" Therefore, again in silence, we went forward,

THE INVASION OF 1910

determining to take the Lowestoft high road. Where
the enemy's outposts were, we had no idea. Quietly
we skirted Thorington Park, and were just ascending
the bridge over the Blyth, before entering Blythburgh,
when of a sudden we saw silhouetted on the slope against
the star-lit sky a small group of heavily-accoutred
German infantry, who had their arms piled beside the
road, while two were acting as sentries close at hand.

" At once we were challenged in German. In an
instant we flung ourselves from our machines, and
took shelter in a hedge opposite. Several times was
the gruff challenge repeated, and as I saw no possibility
of crossing the bridge, we stealthily turned our cycles
round and prepared to mount. Of a sudden we were
evidently perceived, and next second shots whistled
about us, and poor Maitland, a private, fell forward
upon his face in the road — dead. We heard loud
snouting in German, which we could not understand,
and in a moment the place seemed alive with the
foreigners, while we only just had time to mount and
tear away in the direction we had come. At Haw
Wood I decided to pass the river by a by-road I knew
at Wissett, avoiding Halesworth on the right. As far
as Chediston Green all was quiet, but on turning north-
ward to Wissett at the cross-roads outside the inn we
perceived three men lurking in the shadow beneath
the wall.

" With one of my men I abandoned my machine,
and crept softly in their direction, not knowing whether
they were farm labourers or the enemy's outposts.
Slowly, and with great caution, we moved forward
until, on listening intently, I heard them in conversa-
tion. They were speaking in German ! On my return
to my section, Plunkett, one of the privates in mufti,
volunteered to creep past without his machine, get to
Aldous Corner, and so reconnoitre the country towards
the enemy's headquarters, which, from Von Kronhelm's
proclamation, we knew to be at Beccles.

" Under our breath we wished him God-speed,

NEWS OF THE ENEMY

and a moment later he disappeared in the darkness.
What afterwards happened we can only surmise. All
we know is that he probably stumbled over a length
of barbed wire stretched across the road, for of a sudden
the three lurking Germans ran across in his direction.
There was a sound of muffled oaths and curses, a quick
shuffling of struggling feet, and the triumphant shout
in German as a prisoner was secured.

" The truth held us breathless. Poor Plunkett
was captured as a spy !

" We could do nothing to save him, for to reveal
ourselves meant capture or death. Therefore we were
compelled to again retire. We then slipped along the
by-roads until we reached Rumburgh, narrowly avoiding
detection by sentries stationed at the fork leading to
Redisham. Rumburgh was the native place of one of
my men named Wheeler, and fortunately he knew
every hedge, wall, ditch, and field in the vicinity.
Acting as our guide, he left the main road, and by a
series of footpaths took us to the main Bungay Road
at St. Lawrence. Continuing again by circuitous
footpaths, he took us to the edge of Redisham Park,
where we discovered a considerable number of German
infantry encamped, evidently forming supports to the
advance line of outposts. It then became difficult
how to act, but this dilemma was quickly solved by
Wheeler suggesting that he being in mufti should take
the other two plain-clothes men and push on to Beccles,
we having now safely passed the outposts and being
actually within the enemy's lines. No doubt we had pene-
trated the advance line of outposts when we struck off
from Rumburgh, therefore there only remained for us
to turn back and make good our escape, which we did
by crossroads in the direction of Bungay. Wheeler
and his two brave companions had hidden their cycles
and rifles in the ditch outside the park, and had gone
forward with whispered good-byes.

" Presently we found ourselves at Methingham
Castle, where we again saw groups of Germans waiting

THE INVASION OF 1910

for the dawn, while squadrons of cavalry and motor-
cyclists were apparently preparing to move out along
Stone Street to scour all the country to the south-west.
These we at once gave a wide berth, and succeeded at
last in getting down to the Waveney and crossing it,
little the worse, save for a wetting. Near Harleston,
four miles to the south-west, we came across two of our
men whom we had left at Woodbridge, and from them
learnt that we were at last free of the enemy. Therefore,
by three o'clock we were back again in Ipswich, and
immediately made report to the adjutant of our regiment,
who was anxiously awaiting our return to headquarters.
The scene during the night in Ipswich was one of terror
and disorder, the worst fears being increased by our
report.

" Would Wheeler return ? That was the crucial
question. If he got to Beccles he might learn the
German movements and the disposition of their troops.
Yet it was a terribly risky proceeding, death being the
only penalty for spies.

" Hour after hour we remained in eager suspense
for news of the three gallant fellows who had risked their
lives for their country, until shortly after eight I heard
shouts outside in the street, and, covered with mud and
perspiration, and bleeding from a nasty cut on his
forehead, the result of a spill, Wheeler burst trium-
phantly in.

" Of the others he had seen nothing since leaving
them in the market-place at Beccles, but when afterwards
he secured his own cycle, the two other cycles were still
hidden in the ditch. Travelling by paths across the
fields, however, he joined the road south of Wissett, and
there in the grey morning was horrified to see the body
of poor Plunkett suspended from a telegraph pole. The
unfortunate fellow had, no doubt, been tried at a drum-
head court-martial and sentenced to be hanged as a
warning to others !

" During the two and a half hours Wheeler was in
Beccles, he made good use of eyes and ears, and his

NEWS OF THE ENEMY

report — based upon information given him by a carter
whom the enemy had compelled to haul supplies from
Lowestoft — was full of deepest interest and most
valuable.

" From my own observations, combined with
Wheeler's information, I was enabled to draw up a
pretty comprehensive report, and point out on the map
the exact position of the German Army Corps which had
landed at Lowestoft.

" Repeated briefly, it is as follows : —

" Shortly before three o'clock on Sunday morning
the coastguard at Lowestoft, Corton, and Beach End
discovered that their telephonic communication was
interrupted, and half an hour later, to the surprise of
everyone, a miscellaneous collection of mysterious craft
were seen approaching the harbour ; and within an hour
many of them were high and dry on the beach, while
others were lashed alongside the old dock, the new fish-
docks of the Great Eastern Railway, and the wharves,
disembarking a huge force of German infantry, cavalry,
motor-infantry, and artillery. The town, awakened
from its slumbers, was utterly paralysed, the more so
when it was discovered that the railway to London was
already interrupted, and the telegraph lines all cut. On
landing, the enemy commandeered all provisions, in-
cluding the stock at Kent's, Sennett's, and Lipton's, in
the London Road, all motor-cars they could discover,
horses and forage, while the banks were seized, and
the infantry falling in, marched up Old Nelson Street into
High Street and out upon the Beccles Road. The first
care of the invaders was to prevent the people of Lowes-
toft damaging the Swing Bridge, a strong guard being
instantly mounted upon it, and so quietly and orderly
was the landing effected that it was plain the German
plans of invasion were absolutely perfect in every detail.

" Few hitches seemed to occur. The mayor was
summoned at six o'clock by General von Kronhelm, the
generalissimo of the German Army, and briefly informed
that the town of Lowestoft was occupied, and that all

THE INVASION OF 1910

armed resistance would be punished by death. Then,
ten minutes later, when the German war-flag was flying
from several flagstaffs in various parts of the town, the
people realised their utter helplessness.

" The Germans, of course, knew that irrespective of
the weather, a landing could be effected at Lowestoft,
where the fish docks and wharves, with their many
cranes, were capable of dealing with a large amount of
stores. The Denes, that flat, sandy plain between the
upper town and the sea, they turned into a camping-
ground, and large numbers were billeted in various
quarters of the town itself, in the better-class houses
along Marine Parade, in the Royal, the Empire, and
Harbour hotels, and especially in those long rows of
private houses in London Road South.

" The people were terror-stricken. To appeal to
London for help was impossible, as the place had been
cut entirely off, and around it a strong chain of outposts
had already been thrown, preventing anyone from
escaping. The town had, in a moment, as it seemed,
fallen at the mercy of the foreigners. Even the import-
ant-looking police constables of Lowestoft, with their
little canes, were crestfallen, sullen, and inactive.

" While the landing was continuing during all Sunday
the advance guard moved rapidly over Mutford Bridge,
along the Beccles Road, occupying a strong position on
the west side of the high ground east of Lowestoft.
Beccles, where Von Kronhelm established his head-
quarters, resting as it does on the River Waveney, is
strongly held. The enemy's main position appears to
run from Windle Hill, one mile north-east of Gillingham,
thence north-west through Bull's Green, Herringfleet
Hill, over to Grove Farm and Hill House to Ravingham,
whence it turns easterly to Haddiscoe, which is at
present its northern limit. The total front from
Beccles Bridge north is about five miles, and commands
the whole of the flat plain west towards Norwich. It
has its south flank resting on the River Waveney, and
to the north on Thorpe Marshes. The chief artillery

NEWS OF THE ENEMY

position is at Toft Monks — the highest point. Upon
the high tower of Beccles Church is established a signal
station, communication being made constantly with
Lowestoft by helio by day, and acetylene lamps by night.

" The enemy's position has been most carefully
chosen, for it is naturally strong, and, being well held
to protect Lowestoft from any attack from the west,
the landing can continue uninterruptedly, for Lowestoft
beach and docks are now entirely out of the line of any
British fire.

" March outposts are at Blythburgh, Wenhaston,
Holton, Halesworth, Wissett, Rumburgh, Homersfield,
and Bungay, and then north to Haddiscoe, while cavalry
patrols watch by day, the line roughly being from Leiston
through Saxmundham, Framlingham, and Tannington,
to Hoxne.

" The estimate, gleaned from various sources in
Lowestoft and Beccles, is that up to Monday at midday
nearly a whole Army Corps, with stores, guns, ammuni-
tion, etc., had already landed, while there are also reports
of a further landing at Yarmouth, and at a spot still
farther north, but at present there are no details.

" The enemy," he concluded, " are at present in a
position of absolute security."

CHAPTER IV

A PROPHECY FULFILLED

This authentic news of the position of the enemy,
combined with the vague rumours of other landings
at Yarmouth, along the coast at some unknown point
north of Cromer, at King's Lynn, and other places,
produced an enormous sensation in London, while the
Central News interview, circulated to all the papers in
the Midlands and Lancashire, increased the panic in
the manufacturing districts.

The special edition of the Evening News, issued about
six o'clock on Tuesday evening, contained another remark-
able story which threw some further light upon the German
movements. It was, of course, known that practically
the whole of the Norfolk and Suffolk coast was already
held by the enemy, but with the exception of the fact
that the enemy's cavalry vedettes and reconnoitring
patrols were out everywhere at a distance about twenty
miles from the shore, England was entirely in the dark
as to what had occurred anywhere else but at Lowestoft.
Attempts similar to that of the Ipswich cyclist volunteers
had been made to penetrate the cavalry screen at various
points, but in vain. What was in progress was carefully
kept a secret by the enemy. The veil was, however,
now lifted. The story which the Evening News had
obtained exclusively, and which was eagerly read
everywhere, had been related by a man named Scotney,
a lobster-fisherman, of Sheringham, in Norfolk, who
had made the following statement to the chief officer
of coastguard at Wainfleet, in Lincolnshire : —

A PROPHECY FULFILLED 49

" Just before dawn on Sunday morning I was in
the boat with my son Ted off the Robin Friend taking
up the lobster pots, when we suddenly saw about three
miles offshore a mixed lot of curious-looking craft strung
out right across the horizon, and heading apparently
for Cromer. There were steamers big and little, many
of them towing queer flat-bottomed kind of boats,
lighters, and barges, which, on approaching nearer, we
could distinctly see were filled to their utmost capacity
with men and horses.

" Both Ted and I stood staring at the unusual
sight, wondering whatever it meant. They came on
very quickly, however — so quickly, indeed, that we
thought it best to move on. The biggest ships went
along to Wey bourne Gap, where they moored in the
twenty-five feet of water that runs in close to the shore,
while some smaller steamers and the flats were run up
high and dry on the hard shingle. Before this I noticed
that there were quite a number of foreign warships in
the offing, with several destroyers far away in the
distance, both to east and west.

" From the larger steamships all sorts of boats were
lowered, including apparently many collapsible whale-
boats, and into these in a most orderly manner, from
every gangway and accommodation-ladder, troops —
Germans we afterwards discovered them to be to our
utter astonishment — began to descend.

" These boats were at once taken charge of by
steam pinnaces and cutters and towed to the beach.
When we saw this we were utterly dumbfounded.
Indeed, at first I believed it to be a dream, for ever
since I was a lad I had heard the ancient rhyme my
old father was so fond of repeating :

" ' He who would old England win,
Must at Weybourne Hoop begin?

"As everybody knows, nature has provided at
that lonely spot every advantage for the landing of
hostile forces, and when the Spanish Armada was ex-
4

THE INVASION OF 1910

pected, and again when Napoleon threatened an invasion,
the place was constantly watched. Yet nowadays,
except for the coastguard, it has been utterly unpro-
tected and neglected.

" The very first soldiers who landed formed up
quickly, and under the charge of an officer ran up the
low hill to the coastguard station, I suppose in order to
prevent them signalling a warning. The funny thing
was, however, that the coastguards had already been
held up by several well-dressed men — spies of the
Germans, I suppose. I could distinctly see one man
holding one of the guards with his back to the wall,
and threatening him with a revolver.

" Ted and I had somehow been surrounded by the
crowd of odd craft which dodged about everywhere,
and the foreigners now and then shouted to me words
that unfortunately I could not understand.

" Meanwhile, from all the boats strung out along
the beach, from Sheringham right across to the Rocket
House at Salthouse, swarms of drab-coated soldiers
were disembarking, the boats immediately returning
to the steamers for more. They must have been packed
as tightly as herrings in a barrel ; but they all seemed
to know where to go to, because all along at various
places little flags were held by men, and each regiment
appeared to march across and assemble at its own
flag.

" Ted and I sat there as if we were watching a play.
Suddenly we saw from some of the ships and bigger
barges, horses being lowered into the water and allowed
to swim ashore. Hundreds seemed to gain the beach
even as we were looking at them. Then, after the
first lot of horses had gone, boats full of saddles
followed them. It seemed as though the foreigners
were too busy to notice us, and we — not wanting to
share the fate of Mr. Gunter, the coastguard, and his
mates — just sat tight and watched.

" From the steamers there continued to pour
hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers who were towed

A PROPHECY FULFILLED 51

to land, and then formed up in solid squares,
which got bigger and bigger. Horses innumerable —
quite a thousand I should reckon — were slung overboard
from some of the smaller steamers which had been run
high and dry on the beach, and as the tide had now
begun to run down they landed only knee-deep in water.
Those steamers, it seemed to me, had big bilge keels,
for as the tide ebbed they did not heel over. They had,
no doubt, been specially fitted for the purpose. Out
of some they began to hoist all sorts of things, wagons,
guns, motor-cars, large bales of fodder, clothing,
ambulances with big red crosses on them, flat-looking
boats — pontoons I think they call them — and great
piles of cooking pots and pans, square boxes of stores,
or perhaps ammunition, and as soon as anything was
landed it was hauled up above high- water mark.

" In the meantime lots of men had mounted on
horseback and ridden off up the lane which leads into
Weybourne village. At first half a dozen started at a
time ; then, as far as I could judge, about fifty more
started. Then larger bodies went forward, but more
and more horses kept going ashore, as though their
number was never-ending. 0. They must have been
stowed mighty close, and many of the ships must have
been specially fitted up for them.

"Very soon I saw cavalry swarming up over Muckle-
burgh, Warborough, and Telegraph Hills, while a good
many trotted away in the direction of Runton and
Sheringham. Then, soon after they had gone — that is,
in about an hour and a half from their first arrival —
the infantry began to move off, and as far as I could see,
they marched inland by every road, some in the direction
of Kelling Street and Holt, others over Weybourne
Heath towards Bodham, and still others skirting the
woods over to Upper Sheringham. Large masses of
infantry marched along the Sheringham Road, and
seemed to have a lot of officers on horseback with them,
while up on Muckleburgh Hill I saw frantic signalling
in progress.

THE INVASION OF 1910

" By this time they had a quantity of carts and
wagons landed, and a large number of motor-cars. The
latter were soon started, and, manned by infantry,
moved swiftly in procession after the troops. The
great idea of the Germans was apparently to get the
beach clear of everything as soon as landed, for all
stores, equipment, and other tackle were pushed inland
as soon as disembarked.

" The enemy kept on landing. Thousands of
soldiers got ashore without any check, and all proceed-
ing orderly and without the slightest confusion, as
though the plans were absolutely perfect. Everybody
seemed to know exactly what to do. From where we
were we could see the coastguards held prisoners in
their station, with German sentries mounted around ;
and as the tide was now setting strong to the westward,
Ted and I first let our anchor off the ground and allowed
ourselves to drift. It occurred to me that perhaps
I might be able to give the alarm at some other coast-
guard station if I could only drift away unnoticed in
the busy scene now in progress.

" That the Germans had actually landed in England
was now apparent ; yet we wondered what our own
fleet could be doing, and pictured to ourselves the
jolly good drubbing that our cruisers would give the
audacious foreigner when they did haul in sight. It
was for us, at all costs, to give the alarm, so gradually
we drifted off to the nor'-westward, in fear every
moment lest we should be noticed and fired at. At
last we got around Blakeney Point successfully, and
breathed more freely ; then hoisting our sail, we headed
for Hunstanton, but seeing numbers of ships entering
the Wash, and believing them to be also Germans, we
put our helm down and ran across into Wainfleet
Swatchway to Gibraltar Point, where I saw the chief
officer of coastguard, and told him all the extraordinary
events of that memorable morning."

The report added that the officer of coastguard in

A PROPHECY FULFILLED 53

question had, three hours before, noticed strange vessels
coming up the Wash, and had already tried to report
by telegraph to his divisional inspecting officer at Har-
wich, but could obtain no communication. An hour
later, however, it had become apparent that a still
further landing was being effected on the south side of
the Wash, in all probability at King's Lynn.

The fisherman Scotney's statement had been sent
by special messenger from Wainfleet on Sunday evening,
but owing to the dislocation of the railway traffic north
of London, the messenger was unable to reach the offices
of the coastguard in Victoria Street, Westminster, until
Monday. The report received by the Admiralty had
been treated as confidential until corroborated, lest
undue public alarm should be caused.

It had then been given to the Press as revealing
the truth of what had actually happened.

The enemy had entered by the back door of England,
and the sensation it caused everywhere was little short
of panic.

Some further very valuable information was also
received by the Intelligence Department of the War
Office, revealing the military position of the invaders
who had landed at Weybourne Hoop.

It appears that Colonel Charles Macdonald, a retired
officer of the Black Watch, who lived in the " Boule-
vard " at Sheringham, making up his mind to take the
risk, had carefully noted all that was in progress during
the landing, had drawn up a clear description of it,
and had, after some narrow escapes, succeeded in getting
through the German lines to Melton Constable, and
thence to London. He had, before his retirement,
served as military attache at Berlin, and, being thor-
oughly acquainted with the appearance of German
uniforms, was able to include in his report even the
names of the regiments, and in some cases their com-
manders.

From his observations it was plain that the whole
of the IVth German Army Corps, about 38,000 men,

THE INVASION OF 1910

had been landed at Weybourne, Sheringham, and
Cromer. It consisted of the 7th and 8th Divisions
complete, commanded respectively by Major-General
Dickmann and Lieut enant-General von Mirbach. The
7th Division comprised the 13th and 14th Infantry
Brigades, consisting of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-
Dessau's 1st Magdeburg Regiment, the 3rd Magdeburg
Infantry Regiment, Prince Louis Ferdinand von
Preussen's 2nd Magdeburg Regiment, and the 5th
Hanover Infantry Regiment. Attached to this division
were the Magdeburg Hussars No. 10, and the Uhlan
Regiment of Altmark No. 16.

In the 8th Division were the 15th and 16th Brigades,
comprising a Magdeburg Fusilier Regiment, an Anhalt
Infantry Regiment, the 4th and 8th Thuringen In-
fantry, with the Magdeburg Cuirassiers, and a regiment
of Thuringen Hussars. The cavalry were commanded
by Colonel Frolich, while General von Kleppen was in
supreme command of the whole corps.

Careful reconnaissance of the occupied area showed
that immediately on landing, the German position
extended from the little town of Holt, on the west,
eastward, along the main Cromer Road, as far as Gibbet
Lane, slightly south of Cromer, a distance of about
five miles. This constituted a naturally strong posi-
tion ; indeed, nature seemed to have provided it specially
to suit the necessities of a foreign invader. The ground
for miles to the south sloped gently away down to the
plain, while the rear was completely protected, so that
the landing could proceed until every detail had been
completed.

Artillery were massed on both flanks, namely, at
Holt and on the high ground near Felbrigg, immediately
south of Cromer. This last-named artillery was ade-
quately supported by the detached infantry close at
hand. The whole force was covered by a strong line
of outposts. Their advanced sentries were to be found
along a line starting from Thornage village, through
Hunworth, Edgefield, Barningham Green, Squallham,

A PROPHECY FULFILLED 55

Aldborough, Han worth, to Roughton. In rear of them
lay their picquets, which were disposed in advantageous
situations. The general line of these latter were at
North Street, Pondhills to Plumstead, thence over to
Matlash Hall, Aldborough Hall, and the rising ground
north of Hanworth. These, in their turn, were ade-
quately supplemented by the supports, which were
near Hempstead Green, Baconsthorpe, North Narning-
ham, Bessingham, Sustead, and Melton.

In case of sudden attack, reserves were at Bodham,
West Beckham, East Beckham, and Aylmerton, but
orders had been issued by Von Kleppen, who had estab-
lished his headquarters at Upper Sheringham, that the
line of resistance was to be as already indicated —
namely, that having the Holt-Cromer Road for its
crest. Cuirassiers, hussars, and some motorists — com-
manded by Colonel von Dorndorf — were acting inde-
pendently some fifteen miles to the south, scouring the
whole country, terrifying the villagers, commandeering
all supplies, and posting Von Kronhelm's proclamation,
which has already been reproduced.

From Colonel Macdonald's inquiries it was shown
that on the night of the invasion six men, now known
to have been advance agents of the enemy, arrived at
the Ship Inn, at Weybourne. Three of them took
accommodation for the night, while their companions
slept elsewhere. At two o'clock the trio let themselves
out quietly, were joined by six other men, and just
as the enemy's ships hove in sight nine of them seized
the coastguards and cut the wires, while the other
three broke into the Weybourne Stores, and, drawing
revolvers, obtained possession of the telegraph instru-
ment to Sheringham and Cromer until they could hand
it over to the Germans.

The panic in both Sheringham and Cromer when the
astounded populace found the enemy billeted on them
was intense. There were still many holiday-makers in
the Grand and Burlington Hotels in Sheringham, as
also in the Metropole, Grand, and Paris at Cromer,

THE INVASION OF 1910

and these, on that memorable Sunday morning, ex-
perienced a rude awakening from their slumbers.

At Cromer the enemy, as soon as they landed, took
possession of the post office, commandeered all the
stores at shops, including the West-End Supply Stores
and Rust's ; occupied the railway station on the hill,
with all its coal and rolling stock, and made prisoners
of the coastguards, the four wires, as at Weybourne,
having already been cut by advance agents, who had
likewise seized the post office wires. A German naval
party occupied the coastguard station, and hoisting the
German flag at the peak of the staff in place of the
white ensign, began to make rapid signals with the
semaphore and their own coloured bunting instead of
our coastguard flags.

In the clean, red-brick little town of Sheringham
all the grocers and provision-dealers were given notice
not to sell food to anyone, as it was now in possession
of the invaders, while a number of motor-cars belonging
to private persons were seized. Every lodging-house,
every hotel, and every boarding-house was quickly
crowded by the German officers, who remained to super-
intend the landing. Many machine guns were landed
on the pier at Cromer, while the heavier ordnance were
brought ashore at the gap and hauled up the fisher-
men's slope.

Colonel Macdonald, who had carefully marked a
cycling road-map of the district with his observations
driving in his own dog-cart from one point to the other,
met with a number of exciting adventures.

While in Holt on Monday evening — after a long
day of constant observation — he suddenly came face to
face with Colonel Frolich, commanding the enemy's
cavalry brigade, and was recognised. Frolich had been
aide-de-camp to the Emperor at the time when Mac-
donald was attache at the British Embassy, and both
men were intimate friends.

They stopped and spoke, Frolich expressing surprise
and also regret that they should meet as enemies after

A PROPHECY FULFILLED 57

their long friendship. Macdonald, annoyed at being
thus recognised, took the matter philosophically as the
fortunes of war, and learnt from his whilom friend a
number of valuable details regarding the German
position.

The retired attache, however, pushed his inquiries
rather too far, and unfortunately aroused the suspicions
of the German cavalry commander, with the result that
the Englishman's movements were afterwards very
closely watched.
He then found him-
self unable to make
any further recon-
naisance, and was
compelled to hide
his map under a
heap of stones near
the Thornage Road,
and there leave it
for some hours, fear-
ing lest he should
be searched and the
incriminating plan
found upon him.

At night, how-
ever, he returned
cautiously to the
spot, regained
possession of his treasure, and abandoning his dog-
cart and horse in a by-road near North Barning-
ham, succeeded in getting over to Edgefield. Here,
however, he was discovered and challenged by the
sentries. He succeeded, nevertheless, in convincing
them that he was not endeavouring to escape ; otherwise
he would undoubtedly have been shot there and then,
as quite a dozen unfortunate persons had been at various
points along the German line.

To obtain information of the enemy's position this
brave old officer had risked his life, yet concealed ^in

Statute Miles

& ' ' * '6 1*0 ~

Railways ■ , Roads

GEORGE PHILIP i SON I ™

Position of the IVth German Army
Corps Twelve Hours after Land-
ing at Weybourne, Norfolk

THE INVASION OF 1910

his golf-cap was the map which would condemn him
as a spy. He knew the peril, but faced it boldly, as an
English soldier should face it.

His meeting with Frolich had been most unfortunate,
for he knew that he was now a marked man.

At first the sentries disbelieved him, but, speaking
German fluently, he argued with them, and was at last
allowed to go free. His one object was to get the map
into the hands of the Intelligence Department, but
the difficulties were, he soon saw, almost insurmount-
able. Picquets and sentries held every road and every
bridge, while the railway line between Fakenham and
Aylsham had been destroyed in several places, as well
as that between Melton Constable and Norwich.

Through the whole night he wandered on, hoping
to find some weak point in the cordon about Wey-
bourne, but in vain. The Germans were everywhere
keeping a sharp vigil to prevent anyone getting out
with information, and taking prisoners all upon whom
rested the slightest suspicion.

Near dawn, however, he found his opportunity, for
at the junction of the three roads near the little hamlet
of Stody, a mile south of Hunworth, he came upon a
sleeping Uhlan, whose companions had evidently gone
forward into Briningham village. The horse was
grazing quietly at the roadside, and the man, tired out,
lay stretched upon the bank, his helmet by his side,
his sabre still at his belt.

Macdonald crept up slowly. If the man woke and
discovered him he would be again challenged. Should
he take the man's big revolver and shoot him as he
lay?

No. That was a coward's action, an unjustifiable
murder, he decided.

He would take the horse, and risk it by making a
dash for life.

Therefore, on tiptoe he crept up, passing the pros-
trate man, till he approached the horse, and in a second,
old though he was, he was nevertheless in the saddle.

A PROPHECY FULFILLED 59

But none too soon. The jingle of the bit awakened the
Uhlan suddenly, and he sprang up in time to see the
stranger mount.

In an instant he took in the situation, and before
the colonel could settle himself in the saddle he raised
his revolver and fired.

The ball struck the colonel in the left shoulder,
shattering it, but the gallant man who was risking his
life for his country only winced, cursed his luck be-
neath his breath, set his teeth, and with the blood
pouring from the wound, made a dash for life, and suc-
ceeded in getting clean away ere the alarm could be
raised.

Twelve hours later the valuable information the
colonel had so valiantly gained at such risk was in the
hands of the Intelligence Department at Whitehall, and
had been transmitted back to Norwich and Colchester.

That the Fourth German Army Corps were in a
position as strong as those who had landed at Lowestoft
could not be denied, and the military authorities could
not disguise from themselves the extreme gravity of the
situation.

CHAPTER V

■ OUR FLEET TAKEN UNAWARES

The first news of the great naval battle, as generally
happens in war, was confused and distorted. It did
not clearly show how the victory had been gained by
the one side, or what had brought defeat upon the other.
Only gradually did the true facts appear. The following
account, however, of the sudden attack made by the
Germans upon the British Fleet represents as near an
approach as can ever be made, writing after events,
to the real truth :

On the fateful evening of September i, it appears
that the North Sea Fleet lay peacefully at anchor off
Rosyth, in the Firth of Forth. It mustered sixteen
battleships, four of them of the famous Dreadnought
class, and all powerful vessels. With it, and attached
to it, was a squadron of armoured cruisers eight ships
strong, but no destroyers, as its torpedo flotilla was
taking part in the torpedo manoeuvres in the Irish Sea.
Some excitement had been caused in the fleet by orders
received on the previous day, directing it to remain
under steam ready to put to sea at an hour's notice.
Officers and men had read the reports in the papers
announcing some friction with Germany, and had
recalled with ironical amusement certain speeches of
the Premier, in which he had declared that since his
advent to power war was impossible between civilised
nations. On the morning of the First, however, the
orders to hold the fleet in readiness were cancelled,
and Admiral Lord Ebbfleet was instructed to wait at

OUR FLEET TAKEN UNAWARES 61

his anchorage the arrival of reinforcements from the
reserve divisions at the great naval ports. The Admiral
had reported some shortage of coal and ammuni-
tion, and had asked for further supplies of both. A
promise was made him that more coal should be sent
to Rosyth, but ammunition, he was told, it would be
inconvenient and unnecessary to forward at this junc-
ture. There was no reason for precipitation or alarm,
a cipher telegram from Whitehall ran : Any sign
of either would irritate Germany and endanger the
situation. He was peremptorily enjoined to refrain
from any act of preparation for war. The estimates
could not be exceeded without good reason, and the
necessary economies of the Admiralty had left no
margin for unexpected expenses. Even the commis-
sioning of the reserve ships, he was told, was not to
be considered in any sense as pointing to the imminence
of war ; it was merely a test of the readiness of the
fleet.

This remarkable despatch and the series of telegrams
which accompanied it were produced at the Parliamentary
investigation after the war, and caused simple stupe-
faction. There was not a hint in them of the peril
which menaced the North Sea Fleet. Not the safety
of England, but the feelings of the enemy, were con-
sidered. And yet the same utter absence of precautions
had characterised the policy of the Government during
the Fashoda crisis, when Mr. Goschen indignantly
denied to an approving House of Commons the sugges-
tion that the dockyards had been busy or that special
efforts to prepare for war had been needed. In the
North Sea crisis again, the safety of England had been
left to chance, and the British fleets carefully with-
drawn from the waters of the North Sea, or placed in
a position of such weakness that their defeat was a
probability.

Lord Ebbfleet, the Admiral, however, was wiser
than the Admiralty. There were too many busybodies
about, and the ships were too plainly under observation,

THE INVASION OF 1910

to make the full battle toilet. But all that afternoon
his crews were active in removing the woodwork, which
could not, unfortunately, be sent ashore or thrown
into the water — that would have caused excessive
suspicion. He would personally have preferred to
weigh anchor and proceed to sea, but his instructions
forbade this. A great admiral at such a juncture
might have disobeyed, and acted on his own responsi-
bility ; but Lord Ebbfleet, though brave and capable,
was not a Nelson. Still, as well as he could, he made
ready for war, and far into the night the crews worked
with a will.

Torpedo-nets were got out in all the large ships ;
the guns were loaded ; the watch manned and armed
ship ; the ships' torpedo boats were hoisted out and
patrolled the neighbouring waters ; all ships had steam
up ready to proceed to sea, though the Admiralty had
repeatedly censured Lord Ebbfleet for the heinous
offence of wasting coal, Unhappily, the fortifications
on the Firth of Forth were practically unmanned and
dismantled. Many of the guns had been sold in 1906
to effect economies. In accordance with the policy of
trusting to luck and the kindness of the Germans, in
fear, also, of provoking Germany, no steps had been
taken to mobilise their garrisons. Under the latest
scheme of defence which the experts in London had
produced, it had been settled that fortifications were not
needed to protect the bases used by the fleet. The
garrison artillery had gone — sacrificed to the demand
for economy. It was considered amply sufficient to
man the works with mobilised Volunteers when the
need arose. That the enemy might come like a thief
in the night had seemingly not occurred to the Govern-
ment, the House of Commons, or the Army reformers.

Thus the Admiral had to trust entirely to his own
ships and guns. The very searchlights on the coast
defences were not manned ; everything after the usual
English fashion was left to luck and the last minute.
And, truth to tell, the pacific assurances of the Ministerial

OUR FLEET TAKEN UNAWARES 63

Press had lulled anxiety to rest everywhere, save,
perhaps, in the endangered fleet. The nation wished
to slumber, and it welcomed the leading articles which
told it that all disquietude was ridiculous.

It was equally disastrous that no destroyers accom-
panied the fleet. The three North Sea flotillas of
twenty-four boats were conducting exercises in the
Irish Sea, whither they had been despatched after the
grand naval manoeuvres were over. No flotilla of
destroyers, and not even a single one of those worn-out,
broken-down torpedo boats which the Admiralty had
persisted in maintaining as a sham defence for the
British coast, was stationed in the Forth. For patrol
work the Admiral had nothing but his armoured cruisers
and the little launches carried in his warships, which
were practically useless for the work of meeting de-
stroyers. The mine defences on the coast had been
abolished in 1905, with the promise that torpedo boats
and submarines should take their place. Unluckily,
the Admiralty had sold off the stock of mines for what
it would fetch, before it had provided either the torpedo
boats or the submarines, and now five years after this
act of supreme wisdom and economy there was still
no mobile defence permanently stationed north of
Harwich.

At nightfall six of the battleships' steam torpedo
boats were stationed outside the Forth Bridge, east of
the anchorage, to keep a vigilant watch, while farther
out to sea was the fast cruiser Leicestershire with all
lights out, in mid-channel, just under the island of
Inchkeith. Abreast of her and close inshore, where
the approach of hostile torpedo craft was most to be
feared, were three small ships' torpedo boats to the north
and another three to the south, so that, in all, twelve
torpedo boats and one cruiser were in the outpost line,
to prevent any such surprise as that of the Russian
fleet at Port Arthur on the night of February 8, 1904.
Thus began this most eventful night in the annals of
the British Navy.

THE INVASION OF 1910

Hour after hour passed, while the lieutenants in
charge of the torpedo boats incessantly swept the
horizon with night glasses ; and on the bridge of the
Leicestershire a small group of officers and signalmen
directed their telescopes and glasses out to sea. The
great cruiser in the darkness showed not a glimmer of
light ; gently her engines moved her to and fro upon
her beat ; she looked through the blackness like a
monstrous destroyer herself ; and as she went to and
fro her guns were always kept trained out seawards,
with the watch ready. Towards 2 a.m. the tide began
to set strongly into the Forth, and at the same time
the weather became misty. Captain Cornwall, noting
with uneasiness that the horizon was becoming obscured,
and that the field of vision was narrowing, exclaimed
to his fellow-watchers on the bridge that it was an
ideal night for destroyers — if they should come.

Barely had he spoken thus when he was called aft
to the wireless telegraphy instruments. Out of the
night Hertzian waves were coming in. The mysterious
message was not in the British code ; it was not in the
international code ; and it bore no intelligible meaning.
It was in no language that could be recognised — was
evidently a cipher. For two or three minutes the
recorder rattled off dots and dashes, and then the
aerial impulse ceased. Immediately, with a noise like
the rattle of pistol shots, the Leicestershire's transmitters
began to send the news of this strange signal back to
the flagship at the anchorage. The special tuning of
the British instruments kept for fleet work would
prevent a stranger taking in her news.

While the Leicestershire's wireless instruments were
signalling, a steamer was made out approaching Inch-
keith. From her build she was a tramp ; she carried
the usual lights, and seemed to be heading for Queens-
ferry. A flashlight signal was made to her to ask her
name and nationality, and to direct her not to approach,
as manoeuvres were in progress. She made not the
faintest response to these signals — a by no means

OUR FLEET TAKEN UNAWARES 65

unusual case with British and foreign merchant steamers.
In the dim light she looked to be of about 2500 tons
displacement as she steered straight for the Leicester-
shire. Captain Cornwall ordered one of the inshore
torpedo boats to proceed to her, and examine her, and
direct her, if she was not British, to go into Leith,
thus taking upon his shoulders the considerable respon-
sibility of interfering with a foreign ship in time of
peace. But she paid no attention to the torpedo boat.
She was about 3000 yards off the Leicestershire when
the order to the boat was given, and she had now
approached within 1500 yards. Disquieted by her
proceedings, Captain Cornwall ordered one of the
3-pounders to fire a shot across her bow, and then, as
this did not stop her, followed it up with two shots
from a 3-pounder directed against her hull.

At the first shot across her bows she swung round,
now little more than a thousand yards away from the
British cruiser, bringing her broadside to bear. There
was the noise of a dull report like the discharge of
torpedo tubes, as an instant later the 3-pounder shells
struck her hull. Immediately, at Captain Cornwall's
order, the Leicestershire opened fire with all her guns
that would bear. Through the water came two streaks
of bubbles and foam, moving with lightning speed.
One passed right ahead of the Leicestershire ; the other
swept towards the British cruiser's stern ; there was
a heavy explosion ; the whole hull of the cruiser was
violently shaken and lifted perceptibly up in the water ;
a spout of water and smoke rose up astern, and the
engines ceased to work. The Leicestershire had been
torpedoed by the stranger.

The stranger caught the cruiser's fire and reeled
under it. The British gunners took their revenge.
The searchlights came on ; four 7-5's, in less time than
it takes to tell, planted shell after shell upon her water-
line, and the steamer began slowly to founder. Clouds
of smoke and steam rose from her ; her engine was
apparently disabled, and the British launches closed

THE INVASION OF 1910

about her to seize those of her crew that survived. In
ten minutes all was over. The steamer had disappeared,
her side torn open by a dozen 7.5-in. shells charged
with lyddite. But the Leicestershire was in serious
plight. The damage done by the German torpedo was
of the gravest nature. The British cruiser was heavily
down by the stern ; her port engine and propeller would
no longer revolve ; two compartments on the port
quarter had filled, and water was leaking into the port
engine-room. Very slowly, with the help of the star-
board engine, Captain Cornwall took her in towards
Leith and beached his ship on the shoals near the new
harbour.

The opening act had been cleverly thought out by
the German staff. While the torpedo boats were
picking up the crew of the steamer, three divisions of
German torpedo craft, each six boats strong, had passed
into the Forth under the shadow of the northern coast.
They glided like shadows through the darkness, and
they do not seem to have been seen by the British
vessels off Inchkeith, whose crews' attention was riveted
upon the Leicestershire. A fourth division, moving
rapidly in the shadow of the southern coast, was seen
by the Leicestershire and by the British launches about
her and with her, and at once she opened fire upon the
dim forms. But, bereft of motive power, she could not
use her battery to advantage, and though it was thought
that one of the destroyers disappeared in the water,
the others sped up the estuary, towards the British
fleet.

Warned by wireless telegraphy that destroyers had
been sighted, the British crews were on the qui vive.
There was not time at this eleventh hour to weigh and
put out to sea ; the only possible course was to meet
the attack at anchorage. The fleet was anchored off
Rosyth, the battleships in two lines ahead, headed by
the flagships Vanguard and Captain. The Vanguard and
Captain, the leading ships in the starboard and port lines
respectively, were just abreast of the Beamer Rock and

OUR FLEET TAKEN UNAWARES 67

Port Edgar. The seven armoured cruisers were moored
in the St. Margaret's Hope Anchorage. To torpedo
craft coming from the sea and passing under the Forth
Bridge, the fleet thus offered a narrow front, and com-
paratively few of its guns would bear.

About 2.30 a.m. on Sunday morning, the lookout of
the Vanguard detected white foam, as from the bows of
a destroyer, just under Battery Point ; a few seconds
later, the same sign was seen to the south of Inchgarvie,
and as the bugles sounded and the 12-in. guns in the
three forward turrets of the British flagship opened, and
the searchlights played their steady glare upon the
dark waters just under the Forth Bridge, the forms of
destroyers or torpedo boats fast approaching were un-
mistakably seen.

In a moment the air trembled with the concussion of
heavy guns ; the quick-firers of the fleet opened a terrific
fire ; and straight at the battleships came eighteen
German destroyers and large torpedo boats, keeping
perfect station, at impetuous speed. The sea boiled
about them ; the night seemed ablaze with the flashing
of the great guns and the brilliant flame of exploding
shells. Now one destroyer careened and disappeared ;
now another flew into splinters, as the gunners sent home
their huge projectiles. Above all the din and tumult
could be heard the rapid hammering of the pom-poms,
as they beat from the bridges with their steady stream
of projectiles upon the approaching craft.

Four destroyers went to the bottom in that furious
onrush ; ten entered the British lines, and passed down
them with the great ships on either side, not more than
200 yards away, and every gun depressed as much as it
could be, vomiting flame and steel upon the enemy ; the
others turned back. The thud of torpedo firing followed ;
but the boats amid that tempest of projectiles, with the
blinding glare of the searchlights in their gunners' eyes,
aimed uncertainly. Clear and unforgettable the figures
of officers and men stood out of the blackness, as the
searchlights caught the boats. Some could be seen

THE INVASION OF 1910

heaving heavy weights overboard ; others were busy at
the torpedo tubes ; but in the blaze of light the pom-
poms mowed them down, and tore the upper works of
the destroyers to flinders. Funnels were cut off and
vanished into space ; a conning-tower was blown visibly
away by a 12-in. shell which caught it fairly, and as the
smitten boat sank there was a series of terrific explosions.

Fifth ship in the starboard British line from the
Vanguard lay the great battleship Indefatigable, after
the four " Dreadnoughts " one of the four powerful units
in the fleet. Four torpedoes were fired at her by the
German destroyers ; three of the four missed her, two
of them only by a hair's breadth, but the fourth cut
through the steel net and caught her fairly abreast of
the port engine-room, about the level of the platform
deck. The Germans were using their very powerful
17.7-in. Schwartzkopf torpedo, fitted with net-cutters,
and carrying a charge of 265 lb. of gun-cotton, the
heaviest employed in any navy, and nearly a hundred
pounds heavier than that of the largest British torpedo.

The effect of the explosion was terrific. Though the
Indefatigable had been specially constructed to resist
torpedo attack, her bulkheads were not designed to
withstand so great a mass of explosive, and the torpedo
breached the plating of the wing compartments, the
wing passage, and the coal-bunker, which lay immediately
behind it. The whole structure of the ship was shaken
and much injured in the neighbourhood of the explosion,
and water began to pour through the shattered bulk-
heads into the port engine-room.

The pumps got to work, but could not keep the
inrush down ; the ship rapidly listed to the port side,
and though "out collision mat" was ordered at once,
and a mat got over the huge, gaping hole in the battle-
ship's side, the water continued to gain. Slipping her
anchors, at the order of the Admiral, the Indefatigable
proceeded a few hundred yards with her starboard screw
to the shelving, sandy beach of Society Bank, where she
dropped aground. Had the harbour works at Rosyth

OUR FLEET TAKEN UNAWARES 69

been complete, the value of them to the nation at this
moment would have been inestimable, for there would
have been plenty of time to get her into the dock which
was under construction there. But in the desire to
effect apparent economies the works since 1905 had been
languidly pushed.

The calamities of the British fleet did not end with
the torpedoing of the Indefatigable. A few seconds later
some object drifting in the water, probably a mine —
though in the confusion it was impossible to say what
exactly happened — struck the Resistance just forward of
the fore barbette. It must have drifted down inside
the torpedo nets, between the hull and the network.
There was an explosion of terrific violence, which rent a
great breach in the side of the ship near the starboard
fore torpedo tube, caused an irresistible inrush of water,
and compelled her captain also to slip his anchors and
beach his ship.

Two of the British battle squadron were out of
action in the space of less than five minutes from the
opening of fire.

Already the shattered remnants of the German
torpedo flotilla were retiring ; a single boat was steaming
off as fast as she had come, but astern of her four wrecks
lay in the midst of the British fleet devoid of motive
power, mere helpless targets for the guns.

As they floated in the glare of the searchlights with
the water sputtering about them, in the hail of pro-
jectiles, first one and then another, and finally all four,
raised the white flag. Four German boats had sur-
rendered ; four more had been seen to sink in the midst
of the fleet ; one was limping slowly off under a rain of
shells from the smaller guns of the Vanguard.

The British cruiser Londonderry was ordered to slip
and give chase to her, and steamed off in pursuit down
the Forth. A caution to " beware of mines " was flashed
by the Admiral, and was needed. The German de-
stroyers must have carried with them, and thrown
overboard in their approach, a large number of these

THE INVASION OF 1910

deadly agents, which were floating in all directions,
greatly hampering the Londonderry in her chase.

But with the help of her searchlights she picked her
way past some half-dozen mines which were seen on
the surface, and she was so fortunate as not to strike any
of those which had been anchored in the channel.
Gathering speed, she overhauled the damaged destroyer.
The crew could offer little resistance to the guns of a
powerful cruiser.

A few shots from the three-pounders and a single
shell from one of the Londonderry's 7.5's did the work.
The German torpedo boat began to sink by the stern ;
her engines stopped ; her rudder was driven by the
explosion of the big projectile over to starboard, and the
impulse of the speed at which she was travelling brought
her head round towards the British vessel. The boat
was almost flush with the water as one of her crew raised
the white flag, and the fifth German boat surrendered.

The prisoners were rescued from the water with
shaken nerves and quaking limbs, as men who had
passed through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, who
had endured the hail of shells and faced the danger of
drowning.

So soon as the survivors of that most daring and
gallant attack had been recovered from the water, and
possession had been taken of the battered hulls in which
they had made their onset, the Admiral ordered his
torpedo launches to drag the channel for mines.

And while the dragging was proceeding, the prisoners
were taken on board the flagship and interrogated.
They would disclose little other than the fact that,
according to them, war had been already declared. The
ship which had attacked the Leicestershire, they said,
was a tramp fitted for mine-laying and equipped with
three torpedo tubes. Half of them were more or less
seriously wounded ; all admitted that the slaughter on
board their boats caused by the British fire had been
terrific. One lieutenant stated that all the men at one
of his torpedo tubes had been mown down twice by the

OUR FLEET TAKEN UNAWARES 71

hail of small shells from the pom-poms, while a 12-in.
shell which had hit the stern of his boat had blown it
completely away. Yet the remnant of the boat had
still floated.

Lord Ebbfleet surveyed the scene with rueful eyes.
The Indefatigable and Resistance, two of his powerful
battleships, were out of action, and could take no more
part in operations for weeks. The Leicestershire was
in the same plight. From sixteen battleships his force
had fallen to fourteen ; his armoured cruiser squadron
was reduced from eight ships to seven. To remain in
the anchorage without destroyers and torpedo boats to
keep a lookout would be to court further torpedo
attacks, and perhaps the even more insidious danger
from German submarines, and might well imperil the
safety of the British reserve ships. Only one course re-
mained— to weigh and proceed to sea, endeavouring to
pass south to meet the reserve ships.

Efforts to communicate his intention to the Admiralty
failed. ■ The roar of firing had awakened Leith and
Edinburgh ; people were pouring into the streets to
know what this strange and sudden commotion meant,
and what was the cause of the storm.

The windows at Queensferry had been shattered ; the
place was shaken as by a great earthquake. The three
heavy bursts of firing, the continuous disquieting flashes
of the searchlights, and the great hull of the Leicestershire
ashore off Leith, indicated that something untoward had
befallen the fleet.

For a moment it was thought that the Admiral had
fallen to manoeuvres at a most unseasonable hour, or
that some accident had occurred on board the injured
cruiser. Then suddenly the truth dawned upon the
people. The crowd ashore, constantly increasing, as it
gazed in alarm towards the anchorage, realised that war
had begun, and that for the first time since the Dutch
sailed up the Medway, more than two hundred years
before, the sanctity of a British anchorage had been
invaded by an enemy.

THE INVASION OF 1910

The coastguardsmen, who had been placed under
the control of the civil authorities as the result of one of
the numerous reforms effected in the interests of economy,
had for the most part forgotten the art of quick signalling
or quick reading of naval signals, else they might have in-
terpreted to the crowd the history of that night, as it was
flashed to the wireless station at Rosyth, for trans-
mission to London.

But, as has been said, the attempt to despatch the
news to headquarters failed. The private wire from
the dockyard to Whitehall would not work, and though
the post office wires were tried no answer could be
obtained. It appeared that, as on the famous night of
the North Sea outrage, there was no one at the Admiralty
— not even a clerk. It was, therefore, impossible to
obtain definite information.

Lord Ebbfleet had meantime received a report from
his torpedo launches that a precarious passage had been
cleared through the mines in the channel, and about
four o'clock on Sunday morning he ordered the armoured
cruiser squadron to put to sea and ascertain whether
the coast was clear, preceding the battle squadron,
which, minus the two damaged battleships, was to
follow at six.

The interval of two hours was required to take on
board ammunition from the damaged ships, to land
woodwork and all the impedimenta that could possibly
be discarded before battle, and also to complete the
preparations for action.

It was now almost certain that a German fleet would
be encountered, but, as has been said, the risk of re-
maining in the Forth was even greater than that of
proceeding to sea, while the Commander-in-Chief
realised the full gravity of the fact that upon his fleet
and its activity would depend the safety of England from
invasion.

He knew that the other main fleets were far distant ;
that the reserve ships were much too weak by themselves
to meet the force of the German Navy, and that the best

OUR FLEET TAKEN UNAWARES 73

chance of averting a fresh disaster to them was to effect
as speedily as possible a junction with them. Where
exactly they were or whether they had moved from the
Nore he was not yet aware ; the absence of information
from the Admiralty left him in the dark as to these two
important points.

The armoured cruisers were ordered, if they en-
countered the German cruisers in approximately equal
or inferior force, to drive them off and push through
them, to ascertain the strength and whereabouts of
the German battle fleet ; if, however, the Germans were
in much superior force, the British squadron was to fall
back on the battle fleet. One by one the armoured
cruisers steamed off, first the Polyphemus, with the
Rear- Admiral's flag, then the Olympia, Achates, Im-
perieuse, Aurora, and Londonderry, and last of all the
Gloucester bringing up the rear.

Upon these seven ships the duty of breaking through
the enemy's screen was to devolve. As they went out
they jettisoned their woodwork and formed a line ahead,
in which formation they were to fight.

Unfortunately, the shooting of the squadron was
very uneven. Three of its ships had done superbly at
battle practice and in the gun-layers' test ; but two
others had performed indifferently, and two could
scarcely be trusted to hit the target.

For years the uneven shooting of the fleet had been
noted as a source of weakness ; but what was needed to
bring the bad ships up to the mark was a lavish expendi-
ture of ammunition, and ammunition cost money.
Therefore ammunition had to be stinted.

In the German Navy, on the other hand, a contrary
course had been followed. For the two months before
the war, as was afterwards disclosed by the German Staff
History, the German ships had been "kept constantly at
practice, and if the best ships did not shoot quite so well
as the best units in the British fleet, a far higher average
level of gunnery had been attained.

Increasing the number of revolutions till the speed

THE INVASION OF 1910

reached 18 knots, the cruiser squadron sped seawards.
The east was flushed with the glow of dawn as the ships
passed Inchcolm, but a grey mist lay upon the surface of
the gently heaving sea and veiled the horizon. Leaving
Inchkeith and the Kinghorn Battery soon after the Leith
clocks had struck the half-hour, and steaming on a
generally easterly course, the lookout of the Polyphemus
saw right ahead and some ten or eleven miles away to
the north-east the dark forms of ships upon the horizon.
The British line turned slightly and headed towards
these ships. All the telescopes on the Polyphemus' s
fore-bridge were directed upon the strangers, and the
fact that they were men-of-war painted a muddy grey
was ascertained as they drew nearer, and transmitted by
wireless telegraphy to Lord Ebbfleet.

They were coming on at a speed which seemed to be
about 17 knots, and were formed in line ahead, in a line
perfectly maintained, so that, as they were approaching
on almost exactly the opposite course, their number
could not be counted. In another minute or two, as the
distance between the two squadrons rapidly diminished,
it was clear from her curious girdermasts that the ship
at the head of the line was either the large German
armoured cruiser Waldersee, the first of the large type
built by Germany, or some other ship of her class. At
six miles distance several squadrons of destroyers were
made out, also formed in line ahead, and steaming
alongside the German line, abaft either beam.

A battle was imminent ; there was no time to issue
elaborate orders, or make fresh dispositions.

The British Admiral signalled that he would turn to
starboard, to reconnoitre the strange fleet, and reserve
fire till closer quarters. He turned five points, which
altered his course to an east-south-easterly one. For a
fractional period of time the Germans maintained their
original course, steering for the rear of the British line.
Then the German flagship or leader of the line turned to
port, steering a course which would bring her directly
across the bows of the British line.

OUR FLEET TAKEN UNAWARES 75

Simultaneously the two divisions of torpedo craft
on the port beam of the German squadron increased
speed, and, cutting across the loop, neared the head of
the German line.

The German squadron opened fire as it began to turn,
the W alder see beginning the duel with the two 11 -in. guns
in her fore-turret.

A flash, a haze of smoke instantly dissipated, and a
heavy shell passed screeching over the fore-turret of the
Polyphemus.

Another flash an instant later, and a shell struck the
British cruiser's third funnel, tearing a great hole in it,
but failing to burst. Then every German gun followed,
laid on the Polyphemus, which blew her steam siren
and fired a 12-pounder, the prearranged signal to the
British ships for opening, and an instant later, just
after 5 a.m., both squadrons were exchanging the most
furious fire at a distance which did not exceed 5000 yards.

As the two lines turned, the British were able at last
to make out the strength and numbers of their enemy.
There were ten German armoured cruisers in line — at
the head of the line the fast and new Waldersee, Caprivi,
and Moltke, each of 16,000 tons, and armed with four
n-in. and ten 9.4-in. guns, with astern of them the
Manteuffel, York, Roon, Friedrich Karl, Prince Adalbert,
Prince Heinrich, and Bismarck.

The last four did not follow the first six in the turn,
but maintained their original course, and headed direct
for the rear of the British line. Thus the position was
this : One German squadron was manoeuvring to pass
across the head of the British line, and the other to cross
the rear of that line. Each German squadron was
attended by two torpedo divisions.

Retreat for the British Admiral was already out of
the question, even if he had wished to retire. But as he
stood in the Polyphemus^s conning-tower and felt his
great cruiser reel beneath him under the concussion of
her heavy guns — as he saw the rush of splinters over her
deck, and heard the officers at his side shouting down the

THE INVASION OF 1910

telephones amid the deafening din caused by the crash
of steel on steel, the violent explosion of the shells, the
heavy roar of the great guns, and the ear-splitting crack
and rattle of the 12-pounders and pom-poms — he
realised that the German squadrons were manoeuvring
perfectly, and were trying a most daring move — one
which it would need all his nerve and foresight to defeat.

CHAPTER VI

FIERCE CRUISER BATTLE

Contrary to anticipation, in the interchange of fire
the ships of the two combatants did not suffer any
disabling injury. The armour on either side kept out
the shells from the vitals, though great smoking gaps
began to show where the unarmoured sides had been
riven.

The W alder see's turrets flashed and smoked in-
cessantly as she closed ; the whole German squadron
of six ships, which included her and followed her, turned
its concentrated fire upon the Polyphemus, and the
British cruisers to the rear of the British line were at
some disadvantage, since their weapons could only
fire at extreme range. The Germans aimed chiefly at
the Polyphemus 's conning-tower, wherein, they knew,
dwelt the brain that directed the British force.

Amidst the smoke and fumes of high-explosive
shells, with the outlook obscured by the hail of splinters
and the nerves shaken by the incessant blast of shells,
it was difficult to keep a perfectly cool head.

The next move of the British Admiral has been
bitterly criticised by those who forget that the resolu-
tions of naval war may have to be reached in two seconds,
under a strain to which no General on land is subjected.

Seeing that the main German squadron was gaining
a position to execute the famous manoeuvre of " crossing
the T," and unable to turn away to starboard for want
of sea-room, the British Admiral signalled to his fleet
to turn simultaneously to port, reversing the direction

THE INVASION OF 1910

of his movement and inverting the order of his fleet.
His van became his rear, his rear his van.

Amidst all the uproar, the main German squadron
replied with the same manoeuvre, while the second
German squadron instantly headed straight for the
ships which had been to the rear of the British line,
and now formed its van.

Simultaneously two of the four divisions of German
destroyers attacked, one the rear and the other the
head, of the British line, and the German ships let go
their long-range torpedoes.

The range had fallen to a distance of not much
over 3000 yards between the main German squadron
and the Polyphemus. At the other extremity of the
British line, as the four armoured cruisers forming the
second German squadron closed on the British van,
it rapidly decreased. The confusion was fearful on
either side, and if the British had had destroyers with
them the German official narrative acknowledges that
it might have gone very hard with the German fleet.
But here, as elsewhere, initial errors of disposition, in
the famous words of the Archduke Charles, proved
fatal beyond belief.

The smaller guns on board all the ships of both
sides had been in many cases put out of action ; even
the heavier weapons had suffered. Several of the
turrets no longer flashed and revolved. Funnels and
bridges had sunk ; wreckage of steel yawned where
decks had been ; dense clouds of smoke poured from
blazing paint or linoleum, and the fires were incessantly
renewed by fresh shell explosions. Blood covered the
decks, the scuppers ran red ; inside the fore barbette
of the Ifnperieuse, which had been pierced by an 11 -in.
shell, was a scene of indescribable horror. The barbette
had suddenly ceased firing.

An officer, sent to ascertain the cause, was unable
to make his way in before he was swept away by a fresh
projectile. Another volunteer climbed up through the
top into the steel pent-house, for there was no other

FIERCE CRUISER BATTLE 79

means of access — returned alive, and reported that the
whole barbette crew were dead and that the place was
like a charnel-house There was no sign of disabling
injury to the mechanism, but the problem was how to
get a fresh crew of living men through the hail of shells
to the guns.

The four German armoured cruisers of the second
division turned within 1500 yards of the head of the
British line, firing torpedoes and delivering and receiving
a terrific shell fire. One torpedo boat followed each
German cruiser closely, and as the four cruisers turned,
the torpedo craft, instead of following them, charged
home.

The manoeuvre was so unexpected and so hazardous
that it was difficult to meet. At twenty-five knots
speed the German boats passed like a flash through
the British line. A great hump of water rose under
the British cruiser Londonderry, second in the inverted
order of the line, and she reeled and settled heavily in
the water. A torpedo had struck her abaft the fore-
turret.

Almost at the same instant another German torpedo
division attacked the rear of the British line, and a
German torpedo boat made a hit upon the Olympia,
last but one in the British line. She was struck abaft
the starboard engine-room, and she too listed, and
settled in the water.

As the German boats attempted to escape to the
south they caught the fire of the British squadron's
port broadsides, which sent two to the bottom and left
two others in a sinking condition. Both the damaged
British ships turned out of the British line and headed
for the coast to the south. The only chance of saving
the ships and crews was to beach the vessels and effect
repairs. As they steered out of the battle, the tumult
behind them increased, and their crews could see great
tongues of flame shooting upwards from the Bismarck,
which was held unmercifully by the British 9.2-in.
shells. She was badly damaged and in sore trouble,

THE INVASION OF 1910

but the rest of the German ships still appeared to be
going well. The British torpedoes, fired from the
cruisers' tubes, seemed to have made no hits.

The Germans offered no hindrance to the withdrawal
of the injured ships. They closed on the remnant of
the British force, now reduced to five ships, all much
damaged. On their side, without the Bismarck, which
had fallen out of the line, they had nine ships in action
and two intact flotillas of torpedo craft to bring to bear.

The second German squadron had wheeled to join
the other division, which was now steering a generally
parallel course, though well astern of the British ships.
The two fleets had drawn apart after the short but
fierce torpedo action, and the British were now heading
north. A fierce cruiser battle ensued.

In this sharp encounter at close quarters, at a range
which did not exceed 2000 yards, a grave catastrophe
had befallen the Polyphemus. As the Admiral was
giving orders for his squadron to turn, two heavy pro-
jectiles in quick succession struck the conning-tower,
inside which he was standing with the captain, a mid-
shipman, a petty officer, and two boys at his side.
The first shell struck the base of the conning-tower,
causing a most violent shock, and filling the interior
of the tower with smoke and fumes.

The Admiral leant against the side of the tower and
strove to ascertain through the narrow opening in the
steel wall what had happened, when the second shell hit
the armour outside, and exploded against it with terrific
violence. Admiral Hardy was instantly killed by the
shock or by the bolts and splinters which the explosion
or impact of the projectile drove into the conning-tower.
The flag - captain was mortally wounded ; the petty
officer received an insignificant contusion. The mid-
shipman and the two boys escaped without a scratch,
though stunned and much shaken by the terrific blow.

For some seconds the ship passed out of control ;
then, dazed and bewildered, the midshipman took
charge, and shouted to the chamber below, where the

FIERCE CRUISER BATTLE 81

steering gear was placed with the voice-pipes and all
other appliances, — an improvement introduced after
the war in the Far East, — orders to communicate the
death of the Admiral and disablement of the captain
to the commander. For some minutes the British
squadron was without a chief, though under the system
of " follow my leader," which had been adopted for
the cruiser squadron, the captain of the Gloucester which
led the line was controlling the battle.

Some confusion resulted, and the opportunity of
finishing off the Bismarck which undoubtedly offered
at this moment was lost. Captain Connor, of the
Gloucester, increased speed to eighteen knots, heading
northward, to draw the German squadron away from
the damaged British ships, and attempted to work
across the head of the German line. The fleets now
fought broadside to broadside, exchanging a steady
fire, until Captain Connor, finding himself getting too
close to the north coast, and with insufficient manoeuvr-
ing room, turned southward, inverting, the British
line, and bringing the Polyphemus once more to its
head.

The British squadron, after turning, steamed towards
the Bismarck, which was crawling off eastwards, with
a division of German torpedo boats near at hand to
give her succour. The German squadrons had now
formed up into one compact line, in which two of the
ships appeared to be in serious difficulties. They
copied the British manoeuvre and steered a parallel
course to the British cruisers, holding a position a little
ahead of them. Simultaneously, their other intact
torpedo division took station to leeward of their line
near its rear, and the six remaining boats of the two
divisions, which had executed the first attack, took
station to leeward near the head of the line. The two
fleets steamed 3500 yards apart, gradually closing,
and fought an artillery battle, in which the greater gun-
power*, of the Germans, who had nine ships in action to
the British five, speedily began to tell.

THE INVASION OF 1910

The Gloucester lost two of her four funnels ; one of
her masts fell with a resounding crash. The Olympia
had a slight list ; the Aurora's forward works were
shot away ; the Achates had lost one of her funnels.

In the German line the Waldersee's forward mili-
tary mast tottered and could be seen swaying at each
instant, the network of steel girders had been badly
damaged. The Caprivi was on fire amidships, and
smoke was pouring up from the fire. The Moltke was
without one of her four funnels. The ManteuffePs
stern had been wrecked till the structure of the ship
above the armour looked like a tangle of battered
girders. The York and Roon were less shattered, but
gaping wounds could be seen in their sides. The Fried-
rich Karl had lost the upper portion of her after military
mast. The Prince Heinrich was slightly down by the
bow, and was drooping astern.

Sparks and splinters flew upwards from the steel
sides of the great ships as the projectiles went home;
the din was indescribable ; mingled with the dull note
of the heavy guns was the crackling of the smaller guns
and the beating of the pom-poms, playing a devil's tattoo
in this furious encounter of the mastodons.

The German Admiral saw that the two fleets were
steadily nearing the Bismarck, and essayed once more
the manoeuvre which he had already tried, a manoeuvre
studiously practised in the German Navy, which had
for ten years been daily experimenting with battle-
evolutions, and testing its captains' nerves till they
were of steel. In these difficult and desperate manoeu-
vres, it was remarked then — and it has since been
proved by experience — the Germans surpassed their
British rivals, not because the German officer was
braver or more capable, but because he was younger
taught to display initiative to a higher degree than
the personnel of the British fleet, and better trained for
actual battle.

The four last cruisers in the German line suddenly
altered course and steered straight at the British line,

FIERCE CRUISER BATTLE 83

while behind them, as before, followed six torpedo
boats. Through the intervals at the head of the German
line came the other six boats — an evolution which
they had constantly rehearsed in peace, and which
they carried out with admirable precision and dash in
the crisis of battle — and charged the head of the British
line. The rest of the German squadron maintained
its original course, and covered the attack with a terrific
fire, all its guns accelerating the rapidity of their dis-
charge till the air hummed with projectiles.

The attack was suddenly and vigorously delivered.
The British ships at the rear of the line met it and
countered it with success by turning together south
and steaming away, so that the German effort in this
quarter ended with a blow to the air.

But the flagship at the head of the line was not so
alert ; the death of the Admiral was at this critical
moment severely felt, and the Polyphemus, though she
eluded three torpedoes which were fired at her at about
3000 yards by the German battleships, found two
torpedo boats closing in upon her from right ahead.
She charged one with the ram ; there was no time for
thinking, and she caught the boat fair under her steel
prow, which cut through the thin plating of the boat
like a knife through matchwood. Her huge hull passed
with a slight shudder over the boat, which instantly
foundered with a violent explosion.

The other boat, however, passed her only a hundred
yards away in the spray of shells and projectiles which
seemed as if by enchantment just to miss it. Her
crew had a vision of wild-looking officers and men
busy at the boat's torpedo tubes; the flash of two
torpedoes glinted in the sun as they leaped from the
tubes into the water ; then a great shell caught the
boat and sent her reeling and sinking, but too late.
The mischief had been done. One of the German
torpedoes struck the Polyphemus full on the starboard
engine-room, and, exploding with devastating effect,
blew in the side and bulkheads. The engine-room filled

THE INVASION OF 1910

at once, and bereft of half her power the great cruiser
broke from the British line and headed for the shore
with a heavy list. Almost at the same moment the
fire on board the Caprivi blazed up so fiercely under
the impact of the British shells that she, too, had to
leave the line of battle.

The British line re-formed, heading east, now only
four ships strong, faced by eight German ships. For
some minutes both fleets steamed on a parallel course
4500 yards apart, the Germans, who had, on the whole,
suffered less damage, since their injuries were distri-
buted over a larger number of ships, steaming a little
faster. Once more the German Admiral essayed a
surprise. Suddenly the eight German ships made each
simultaneously a quarter-turn, which brought them
into line abreast. They stood in towards the four
British survivors, to deal the culminating blow. End-
on they caught the full vehemence of the British fire.
But with forces so weakened, the British senior officer
could not run the risk of a melee, and to avoid his
antagonists he, too, turned away from the Germans in
a line abreast, and at the same moment the Achates,
Imperieuse, and Aurora fired their stern torpedo tubes.
Realising the danger of pressing too closely in the
course of a retiring fleet, the Germans again altered
course to line ahead, and steered to cut the British
ships off from their line of retreat up the Forth.

The four British cruisers now headed up the Forth,
perceiving that victory was impossible and flight the
only course. They again received the German fire,
steering on a parallel course. At this juncture the
Gloucester, the last ship in the British line, dropped
far astern ; she had received in quick succession half a
dozen heavy German shells on her 6-in. armour and had
sprung a serious leak. The German ships closed on
her, coming in to less than 2000 yards, when their guns
battered her with ever-increasing effect. She sank
deeper in the water, heading for the coast, with the
Germans in hot pursuit firing continuously at her.

FIERCE CRUISER BATTLE

The other three cruisers were preparing to turn and go
to her aid — a course which would certainly have involved
the annihilation of the First Cruiser Squadron — when
welcome help appeared.

To the west a column of great ships was made out
coming up at impetuous speed from the Upper Forth.
The new-comers were the British battleships steering
to the scene of action.

At their approach the German cruisers wheeled and
stood seaward, making off at a speed which did not
exceed 16 knots, and leaving the Gloucester to beach
herself. They were now in peril, in imminent danger of
destruction — as it seemed to the British officers.
Actually, however, the risk for them had not been
great. Within touch of them the main German battle-
fleet had waited off the Forth, linked to them by a
chain of smaller cruisers and torpedo boats. It would
have shown itself before, but for its commander's fear
that its premature appearance might have broken off
the battle and led to the retreat of the British squadron.
As the British fleet came up, the German cruiser
Bismarck, which had been for an hour in the gravest
trouble, dropped astern of the other German ships, and
it could be seen that one other German ship had been
taken in tow and was falling astern.

Thus the preliminary cruiser action between the
fleets had ended all to the disadvantage of the British,
who had fought; for two hours, and in that brief space
lost four ships disabled. From seven ships on that
disastrous morning, the British strength had been
reduced to three. Impartial posterity will not blame
the officers and men of the armoured cruiser squadron,
who made a most gallant fight under the most unfavour-
able conditions.

The real criminals were the British Ministers, who
neglected precautions, permitted the British fleet
to be surprised, and compelled the British Admiral
to play the most hazardous of games while they had
left the coast without torpedo stations, and England

THE INVASION OF 1910

without any military force capable of resisting an
invading army.

Had there been a national army, even a national
militia, the Commander-in-Chief could have calmly
awaited the concentration of the remaining British
fleets, which would have given the British Navy an
overwhelming superiority. Had there been a fair
number of destroyers always attached to his force,
again, it is morally certain that he would have suffered
no loss from the German torpedo attacks, while a number
of torpedo stations disposed along the North Sea coast
would have enabled him to call up torpedo divisions to
his assistance, even if he had had none atached to his
fleet.

Foresight would have provided for all the perils
which menaced the British Navy on this eventful night ;
foresight had urged the rapid completion of the harbour
at Rosyth, without which further strengthening of the
North Sea fleet was difficult ; foresight had pointed out
the danger of neglecting the strengthening of the torpedo
flotilla ; foresight had called for a strong navy, and a
nation trained to defend the fatherland.

It was the cry of the people and the politician for all
manner of " reforms " at the expense of national
security ; the demand for old-age pensions, for feeding
of children, for State work at preposterous wages for
the work-shy ; the general selfishness which asked
everything of the State and refused to make the smallest
sacrifice for it ; the degenerate slackness of the Public
and the Press, who refused to concern themselves with
these tremendous interests, and riveted all their attention
upon the trivialities of the football and cricket field,
that worked the doom of England.

The nation was careless and apathetic ; it had
taken but little interest in its Fleet. Always it had
assumed that the navy was perfect, that one British ship
was a match for any two enemies. And now in a few
hours it had been proved that the German Navy was as
efficient ; that its younger officers were better trained for

FIERCE CRUISER BATTLE

war and more enterprising than the older British
personnel ; that its staff had perfectly thought out and
prepared every move ; and that much of the old ad-
vantage possessed by the British Navy had been lost by
the too general introduction of short service.

The shooting of the British ships, it is true, had on
the whole been good, and even the cruisers, which in
battle practice had done badly, in action had improved
their marksmanship to a remarkable degree. But it
was in the art of battle manoeuvring and in the scientific
employment of their weapons that the British had
failed.

The three surviving cruisers of the British squadron
had all suffered much damage from the German fire,
and had exhausted so much of their ammunition in
the two hours' fight that they were practically incapable
of taking further part in the operations. They had
to proceed to Rosyth to effect hasty repairs and ship
any further ammunition that might with luck be found
in the insignificant magazines at that place.

The Olympia had been struck three times on her fore
barbette, but though one of the 9.2-in. guns which it
contained had been put out of action by splinters,
the barbette still worked well. Twice almost the
entire crew of the barbette had been put out of action
and had been renewed. The scenes within the barbette
were appalling. Two of her 7.5-in. barbettes had been
jammed by the fire ; her funnels were so much damaged
that the draught had fallen and the coal consumption
enormously increased. Below the armour deck, how-
ever, the vitals of the ship were intact.

The Imperieuse and Aurora had serious hits on the
water-line astern, and each of them was taking on board
a good deal of water. They, too, were much mauled
about their funnels and upper works. As for the four
beached cruisers, they were in a parlous condition,
and it would take weeks to effect repairs. The losses
in men of the cruisers had not been very heavy ; the
officers in the conning-towers had suffered most, as

THE INVASION OF 1910

upon the conning-towers the Germans had directed
their heaviest fire.

Most serious and trying in all the ships had been
the outbreaks of fire. Wherever the shells struck they
appeared to cause conflagrations, and this, though the
hoses were spouting water and the decks drowned
before the action began. Once a fire broke out, to
get it under was no easy task. Projectiles came thick
upon the fire-parties, working in the choking smoke.
Shell-splinters cut down the bluejackets and tore the
hoses. The difficulty of maintaining communications
within the ships was stupendous ; telephones were
inaudible in the terrible din ; voice-pipes were severed ;
mechanical indicators worked indifferently.

The battle-fleet had spent its respite at the anchorage
in getting on board the intact ships much of the am-
munition from the Indefatigable and Triumph^ and
stripping away all remaining impedimenta ; in rigging
mantlets and completing the work of preparation.

While thus engaged at five a.m. the heavy boom
of distant firing came in towards it from the sea — the
continuous thundering of a hundred large guns, a dull,
sinister note, which alternately froze and warmed the
blood. Orders were instantly issued to make ready for
sea with all possible speed, and hoist in the boats.
Meantime the ships' torpedo and picket boats had
dragged carefully for mines, as Lord Ebbfleet dared
to leave nothing to chance. Numerous mines were
found floating on the water or moored in the channel,
and it seemed a miracle that so many ships of the cruiser
squadron had passed out to sea in safety.

Ten minutes later, at 5.10 a.m.. Lord Ebbfleet
signalled to weigh anchor, and the battle-fleet got
under way and headed out to sea, its ships in a single
line ahead, proceeding with the utmost caution. As it
cleared the zone of danger, speed was increased to
sixteen knots, and off Inchcolm the formation was
modified.

Wishing to use to the utmost the high speed and

FIERCE CRUISER BATTLE 89

enormous batteries of his four battleships of the " Dread-
nought " class, Lord Ebbfleet had determined to man-
oeuvre with them independently. They steamed three
knots faster than the rest of his fleet ; their armour
and armament fitted them to play a decisive part in
the approaching action. They took station to star-
board, and to port steamed the other ten battleships,
headed by the Captain, under Sir Louis Parker, the
second in command, who was given full authority to
control his division. Behind the Captain steamed
the Sultan, Defiance, Active, Redoubtable, Malta, Ex-
cellence, Courageous, Valiant, and Glasgow — a mag-
nificent array of two-funnelled, grey-painted monsters,
keeping perfect station, with their crews at quarters,
guns loaded, and battle-flags flying. To starboard were
the enormous hulls of the four "Dreadnoughts," the
Vanguard leading, with astern of her the Thunderer,
Devastation, and Bellerophon. The great turrets, each
with its pair of giant 45 ft. long 12-in. guns, caught
the eye instantly ; the three squat funnels in each ship
emitted only a faint haze of smoke ; on the lofty bridges
high above the water stood white-capped officers, look-
ing out anxiously to sea. Nearer and nearer came the
roll of the firing; presently the four "Dreadnoughts"
increased speed and drew fast ahead of the other line,
while the spray flew from under their bows as the re-
volutions of the turbines rose and the speed went up
to nineteen knots.

The other ten battleships maintained their speed,
and fell fast astern. Off Leith a vast crowd gathered,
watching the far-off fighting, and listening in disquietude
to the roar of the firing of the cruiser battle, and cheered
the great procession as it swiftly passed and receded
from view, leaving behind it only a faint haze of smoke.
A few minutes before 7 a.m. the group of officers
on the Vanguard's bridge saw ahead of them three
cruisers, evidently British, steaming towards them,
and far away yet another British cruiser low in the
water, smoking under the impact of shells, with about

THE INVASION OF 1910

her a great fleet of armoured cruisers. The cruisers,
as they approached, signalled the terrible news that
Admiral Hardy was dead, three British cruisers out
of action, and the Gloucester in desperate straits.

The battleships were just in time to effect the rescue.
At 11,000 yards the Vanguard's fore-turret fired the
first shot of the battleship encounter, and as the scream
of the projectile rilled the air, the German cruisers
drew away from their prey. The " Dreadnoughts " were
now two miles ahead of the main squadron. Steaming
fast towards the Bismarck, which had been abandoned
by her consorts, the Vanguard fired six shells at her
from her fore and starboard 12-in. turrets. All the
six 12-in. shells went home ; with a violent explosion
the German cruiser sank instantly, taking with her to
the bottom most of her crew. Yet there was no time
to think of saving men, for on the horizon ahead of
the British Fleet, out to sea, could be seen a dense
cloud of smoke, betokening the presence of a great
assemblage of ships. Towards this cloud the German
cruisers were steaming at their best pace.

Lord Ebbfleet reduced speed to permit his other
battleships to complete their formation and take up
their positions for battle. The ten battleships of the
second division simultaneously increased speed from
fifteen to sixteen knots, which was as much as their
engines could be trusted to make without serious strain.

About 7.15 a.m. the British Fleet had resumed its
original order, and was abreast of North Berwick, now
fast nearing the cloud of smoke which indicated the
enemy's presence, and rose from behind the cliffs of
the Island of May.

The British admirals interchanged signals as the
fleet steamed seaward, and Lord Ebbfleet instructed
Vice-Admiral Parker and Rear-Admiral Merrilees to be
prepared for the sudden charges of German torpedo
craft.

That there would be many with the German Fleet
was certain, for, although about twenty-four destroyers

FIERCE CRUISER BATTLE 91

and torpedo boats had been sunk, damaged, or left
without torpedoes as the result of the previous attacks
during the night and early morning, the German torpedo
flotilla had been enormously increased in the four years
before the war, till it mustered 144 destroyers and
forty large torpedo boats.

Even ruling thirty out of action and allowing for
detachments, something like a hundred might have to
be encountered.

Lord Ebbfleet was not one of those officers who
expect the enemy to do the foolish thing, and he had
no doubt but that the Germans would follow a policy
of rigid concentration. They would bring all their
force to bear against his fleet and strive to deal it a
deadly blow.

Five minutes passed, and the smoke increased,
while now at last the forms of ships could be made out
far away. Rapidly approaching each other at the rate
of some thirty knots an hour, the head ships of the two
fleets were at 7.25 a.m. about nine miles apart. It
could be seen that the German ships were in three
distinct lines ahead, the starboard or right German
line markedly in advance of the others, which were
almost abreast. The German lines had wide intervals
between them.

In the British ships the ranges were now coming
down to the guns from the fire-control stations aloft :
" 18,000 yards ! " " 17,000 yards ! " " 16,000 yards ! "
" 15,000 yards ! " " 14,000 yards ! " followed in quick
succession ; the sights were quietly adjusted, and the
tension of the crews grew almost unendurable. The
hoses were all spouting water to wet the decks ; every
eye was turned upon the enemy. Far away to the
south the Bass Rock and the cliffs near Tantallon
Castle rose out of a heaving sea, and behind them
loomed the upland country south of Dunbar, so famous
in Scottish story. To the north showed the rocky
coast of Fife. The sun was in the eyes of the British
gunners.

THE INVASION OF 1910

The guns of the Vanguard, and, indeed, of all the
British battleships, were kept trained upon the leading
German. It could now be seen that she was of the
"Kaiser" class, and that five others of the same class
followed her. Her tier on tier of turrets showed against
the sun ; the grim brownish-grey hulls produced an
impression of resolute force.

In the centre German line appeared to be stationed
several ships of the " Braunschweig" and "Deutschland"
classes — how many the British officers could not as
yet make out, owing to the perfect order of the German
line, and the fact that it was approaching on exactly
the opposite course to the British Fleet.

The port or left German line was headed by one of
the new monster battleships, built to reply to the Dread-
nought, and of even greater size and heavier battery
than that famous ship. It was, in fact, the Sachsen,
flying Admiral Hermann's flag, armed with twelve of
the new pattern 46 ft. long 11-in. guns, twenty-four
4-in. quick-firers, and ten pom-poms.

The monster German battleship could be plainly
distinguished by the Eiffel Tower-like structure of her
masts, each with its two platforms carried on an elaborate
system of light steel girders, which rendered them less
liable to be shot away. End-on she showed her four
n-in. turrets, each bristling with a pair of muzzles.
She brought two more heavy guns to bear ahead and
on the broadside than did the Dreadnought, while her
stern fire was incomparably more powerful, delivered
from eight 11 -in. guns.

It was the completion of two ships of this class
that had caused Lord Ebbfleet so much anxiety for
his position. Yet there were four of the class in the
German line of battle, two of which did not appear
in the official lists as ready for sea, but were given out
to be only completing.

The range-finders in the fire-control stations in the
British flagship were still sending down the distance.
" 13,000 yards ! " " 12,000 yards ! " and the tension

FIERCE CRUISER BATTLE 93

augmented. The centre and port German columns of
ships slowed and turned slightly in succession, while
the starboard line increased speed and maintained its
original course. By this manoeuvre the German Fleet
looked to be formed in one enormous irregular line,
covering four miles of sea.

The numbers of the enemy could at last be counted ;
the British Fleet of fourteen battleships had twenty-two
battleships against it, and of those twenty-two, four
were as good ships as the Vanguard. The British Fleet
turned a little to starboard to bring its batteries to
bear with the best effect, and take advantage, as Lord
Ebbfleet intended, of the dispersion of the German
formation. " 11,000 yards ! " " 10,000 yards ! " came
down to the barbettes. The Vanguard fired a im-
pounder, and as the flash was seen both Fleets opened
with sighting shots, and the great battle began.

CHAPTER VII

CONTINUATION OF THE STRUGGLE AT SEA

But the German Admiral had anticipated the British
move, and as the two fleets closed, replied with a daring
and hazardous blow. His irregular line dissolved once
more into its elements as the flashes came from every
heavy gun that would bear in his twenty-two battle-
ships. The Germans, as they drew abreast of the
British Fleet, steaming on an opposite course, broke into
three columns] in three lines ahead, one of which steered
straight for the British rear, one for the centre, and one
for the van.

The Vanguard and the other three large battleships
with Lord Ebbfleet had increased speed, and moved
ahead of their original station till their broadsides bore
and they practically belonged the British line. They
circled at full battle speed of nineteen knots to pass
across the German rear. Sheltering under the lee of
the German battleships several destroyers or torpedo-
boats could be discerned, and there were other destroyer
or torpedo-boat divisions away to the north-east,
moving gently apart and aloof from the battle out
at sea.

The fire on either side had now become intense and
accurate ; the range varied from minute to minute, but
it constantly fell. The tumult was indescribable. The
German third division of six " Kaisers " passed round the
rear of the main British division, executing against it
the manoeuvre of " crossing the T," but receiving serious
injury in the process.

CONTINUATION OF THE STRUGGLE AT SEA 95

A stunning succession of blows rained upon the
Glasgow, the sternmost battleship in the British line,
and her excessively thin belt was pierced by three
German 9.4-in. shells, one of which burst with dreadful
effect inside the citadel, denting the armoured deck,
driving bolts and splinters down into the boiler and
engine-rooms, and for some instants rendering the ship
uncontrollable. A great fire broke out where the shell
had burst.

Almost at the same instant the Glasgow's fore
barbette put two shells in succession home just above
the upper level of the Zahringen's armour-belt amid-
ships, and one of these shells bursting, wrecked and
brought down the German battleship's after-funnel,
besides putting two of her Schultz boilers out of action.
The Zahringen took fire, but the names were quickly got
under ; she carried no wood and nothing inflammable.

Dense clouds of smoke from funnels, from bursting
shells, from burning ships, began to settle over the
water, and the air was acrid with the taint of^burnt
cordite and nitrous fumes from the German powder.
In the twilight of smoke the dim forms of monster
ships marched and countermarched, aglow with red
flame.

The four "Dreadnoughts" passed round the first
German division containing the four battleships of the
"Sachsen" class, interchanging with them a terrific fire
at about 5000 yards. Each side made many hits, and
some damage was done to unarmoured portions of the
huge hulls. An n-in. shell struck the Thunderer' s centre
12-in. barbette, and jammed it for a few minutes ; the
Vanguard, at the head of the British division, received
a concentrated fire, seven n-in. shells striking her
forward of her centre barbette. Several of her armour-
plates were cracked ; her port anchor gear was shot away,
and her fore -funnel much shattered. Her whole
structure vibrated under the terrific blows. Splinters
swept her fore-bridge, and a hail of small projectiles from
the German 40-pounder guns beat upon her conning-

THE INVASION OF 1910

tower, rendering control of the battle exceedingly
difficult.

The noise and concussion were terrible ; the blast of
the great 12-in. guns, when they fired ahead, shook the
occupants of the tower, and extreme caution was needed
to avoid serious injury. Lord Ebbfleet triumphantly
achieved the manoeuvre of " crossing the T," or passing
across the head of the German line and raking it with all
his ships, against the Germans, though the enormous
bow-fire of the Sachsen served her well at this point.

But the German Admiral diminished the effectiveness
of the manoeuvre by turning away a little, and then,
when the danger had passed, resuming his original
course. The second German division rapidly came
up on the port beam of the British main division,
its head ships receiving a fearful fire from the British
line. Closing upon the first German division, it
formed up astern of it into one long line, and attacked
the British rear.

Thus the Germans had surrounded the British ten
battleships under Sir Louis Parker, and had concentrated
against them twenty-two battleships. The fire of this
great host of German ships told heavily upon the weak
armour of the "Defiance " and "Valiant " classes. The
" Sachsens," at about 4000 yards, put shot after shot from
their 11-in. guns into the hull of the Glasgow, the last ship
in the British line, and clouds of smoke and tongues of
flame leapt up from her. She was now steaming slowly,
and in evident distress.

The four "Dreadnoughts" worked to the north of
the Germans, maintaining with them a long-range
action, and firing with great effect. But seeing the
German concentration against the other division of his
fleet, Lord Ebbfleet turned and stood towards it, while
at the same time Admiral Parker began to turn in
succession and move to meet the ' ' Dreadnoughts. ' ' As his
line turned, the rearward ships received further injuries.

Outside the armour the structure of many ships on
both sides was fast being reduced to a tangle of shattered

CONTINUATION OF THE STRUGGLE AT SEA 97

beams and twisted and rent plating. Most of the
smaller guns were out of action, though the 6-in. guns in
the casemates of the British ships were still for the
most part intact. The Sultan s 7-5's were firing with
great effect ; while the Captain, which headed the
British main division, had resisted the battering superbly,
and inflicted great injury on the Preussen by her fire.
At moments, however, her guns were blanketed by the
ships behind her, from the fact that the German columns
were well astern. It was to bring his guns to bear as
well as to rejoin his Commander-in-Chief that the
British Vice-Admiral altered course and steamed south-
westward.

The Germans now practised a masterly stroke.

Their third division of six " Kaisers " headed direct for
the van of the British line, closing rapidly upon a gener-
ally opposite course. At the same time their other two
divisions steered to prevent the British ships from
making a countermarch and avoiding the charge which
was now imminent.

Lord Ebbneet saw the danger, and increased speed,
closing on the " Kaisers," well astern of them, and plying
them with a terrific fire from the three 12-in. turrets
which bore ahead in his flagship. Smoke and sparks
flew upwards from the Friedrich III., the last ship in
the division. Her after-turret was out of action ; her
after-military mast fell amidst a rain of splinters ; her
stern sank slightly in the water.

At the same time the "Kaisers " began to catch the full
fire of the other British division, and they were doubled
upon. The head of their line was being raked by Sir
Louis Parker ; the Captain put shell after shell into the
bows of the Wilhelm II. ; her 9.2's and 12-in. guns
played with a steady stream of projectiles upon the
German battleship, until, at 2000 yards, the Wilhelm's
upper works appeared to be dissolving in smoke and
flame as before some irresistible acid.

The bows of the German battleship sank a little, but
she turned, brought her broadside to bear, and the five

THE INVASION OF 1910

ships behind her did the same. The range was short ;
the position favourable for torpedoes ; and the six
Germans fired, first their bow tubes as they came round,
and then twice in quick succession their two broadside
tubes at the British line. The thirty torpedoes sped
through the sea ; the British replied with the two broad-
side tubes in each ship, as those tubes bore.

There was amidst all the din and turmoil and shooting
flame a distinct pause in the battle as the crews of both
fleets, or all those who could see what was happening,
watched spell-bound the issue of this attack and counter-
attack. They had not long to wait. One of the huge
German torpedoes caught the Excellent right astern and
wrecked her rudder and propellers. Another struck the
Sultan almost amidships, inflicting upon her terrible
injury, so that she listed heavily. The Wilhelm II. was
struck by a British torpedo right on her bows, and as
she was already low in the water, began to fill and
sink.

The scene at this point was one of appalling horror.
One battleship, the Wilhelm II., was sinking fast, with
none to rescue her crew ; the men were rushing up on
deck ; the fire from her guns had ceased ; she lay on the
sea a shattered wreck, riddled with shell, and smoking
with the fires which still burnt fiercely amidst the
debris of her upper works.

Not far from her lay the Excellent, completely dis-
abled, but still firing. Near the Excellent, again, moving
very slowly, and clearly in a sinking condition, but still
maintaining gallantly the battle, was the Glasgow, in a
dense cloud of smoke caused by the bursting shell from
the guns of sixteen enemies and the blazing fires on
board.

Making off to the south to beach herself was the
Sultan, in lamentable plight, with a heavy list. It was
8.40 a.m., or little more than an hour since the joining
of battle, and the German Admiral at this moment
signalled that victory was his.

The news was sent by wireless telegraphy to the

CONTINUATION OF THE STRUGGLE AT SEA 99

jkrtin urn fins?

ggriin urn €im!

DasUletneJoutnal

Berlin, 3Rontafl,6en 3 6crtembcr mo

German cruisers out at sea, and by them transmitted to
Emden and Berlin.

At 11 that morning newspapers were selling in the
streets of the German capital with the news that the
British Fleet was beaten, and that Britain had lost the
command of the
sea. Five British
battleships, it was
added, in the
brief wireless mes-
sage, had been
already sunk or
put out of action.

The German
lines closed upon
the two injured
British ships, Ex-
mouth and Glory,
showering shells
upon them. At
once the two
British Admirals
turned and moved
to the rescue,
through the clouds
of smoke which
had settled on the
sea, and which
were rendering
shooting at long
range more than
ever difficult.
Through the

smoke German torpedo-boats could be made out on the
move, but they did not attempt as yet to close on
the intact battleships, and kept well out of the range
of the British guns. The first and most powerful German
battleship division covered the other German ships
in their attack upon the disabled British battleships,

Sriumptj iter
2Baffett.

<Bemut)iung btv
Gfttglifdjeti
yiotte,

%s)n Aron^lm <uuf
3tem 2Jontwrfcfje
3ta$ Sonbon.

The First News in Berlin of the
German Victory.

ioo THE INVASION OF 1910

and encountered the fire of the eleven British battleships
which still remained in action. Meantime the other
thirteen German battleships closed to about iooo
yards of the injured British ships. The n-in.
shells from the German turrets at this distance inflicted
terrible injury. The German guns were firing three
shots in two minutes, and under their fire and the
storm of 6-in. and 6.7-in. shells which their smaller guns
delivered it was impossible for the British gunners
to shoot with any effect. Great explosions occurred
on board the Glory ; an 11-in. shell struck her fore
barbette, where the plating had already been damaged
by a previous hit, and, perforating, burst inside with
fearful effect, blowing the crew of the barbette to pieces,
and sending a blast of fire and gas down into the loading
chamber under the barbette, where it exploded a cordite
charge. Another shell struck the conning-tower, and
disabled or killed all inside it. The funnels fell ; both
the masts, which were already tottering, came down ;
the ship lay upon the water a formless, smoking hulk.
Yet still her crew fought on, a hopeless battle. Then
several heavy shells caught her waterline, as the Germans
closed a little, and must have driven in the armour or
pierced it. More explosions followed ; from the centre
of the ship rose a column of smoke and flame and frag-
ments of wreckage ; the centre lifted visibly, and the
ends dropped into the sea. The Glory parted amid-
ships, and went to the bottom still firing her after
barbette in that supreme moment, having proved herself
worthy of her proud name. Several German torpedo-
boats steamed towards the bubbles in the water, and
fell to work to rescue the crew. Others had drawn near
the Wilhelm II, 9 and in neither case were they molested
by the fire of the British fleet.

A scene as terrible took place on board the Exmouth.
To save her was impossible, for only a few brief minutes
were needed to complete the torpedo's work, and no
respite was given by the German officers. They poured
in a heavy fire from all their guns that remained battle-

CONTINUATION OF THE STRUGGLE AT SEA 101

worthy upon the Extnouth's barbettes and conning-
tower, raining such a shower of projectiles upon the ship
that, as in the case of the Glory, it was impossible for
the British crew to fight her with effect. Her 7-in.
armour did not keep out the German 11-in. projectiles
at short range, and the citadel of the ship became a
perfect charnel-house.

Amid the tangled steel-work, amid the blaze of the
fires which could no longer be kept under, amid the
hail of splinters, in the choking fumes of smoke from
burning wood and linoleum and exploding shells,
officers and men clung manfully to their posts, while
under them the hull sank lower and lower in the water.
Then the Braunschweig headed in to 500 yards, and
at this range fired her bow torpedo at the British ship
amidships. The torpedo struck the British battleship
and did its dreadful work. Exploding about the base
of the after-funnel, it blew in the side, and immediately
the British ship listed sharply, showed her deck to her
enemy, and with a rattle of objects sliding across the deck
and a rush of blue figures, capsized amid a cloud of steam.

While the two disabled battleships were being de-
stroyed, and the Swiftsure was crawling off to the south in
the hope of reaching the shore and beaching herself, the
fight between the rest of the British Fleet and the German
divisions had reached its full intensity. For some
minutes, indeed, both fleets had been compelled by the
smoke to cease fire, but the heavy thunder of the firing
never altogether stopped. The four big German
battleships were still seemingly undamaged in any vital
respect, though all showed minor injuries. The four
British " Dreadnoughts " had stood the stern test as well.

But the other battleships had all suffered grievously.
The Duncan and Russell had lost, one both her funnels
and the other both her masts, and the speed of the
Duncan could scarcely be maintained in consequence.
The Montagu had one of her barbettes out of action,
and one of the Albemarle's 12-in. guns had either blown
off its muzzle or else had it shot away. The Albemarle

102 THE INVASION OF 1910

had received a shell forward below the waterline,
and had a compartment full of water. In the German
line the Lothringen was on fire amidships, had lost her
fore and centre funnels, and was low in the water, but
her heavy guns were still in action. On her the British
line now concentrated most of its fire, while the Germans
plied with shell the Duncan and Russell. The second and
third German divisions used their port batteries against
the British main fleet, while their starboard batteries
were destroying the Exmouth and Glory.

At this juncture the Duncan fell astern and left the
British line, and almost at the same moment the Loth-
ringen quitted the German line. The British Admiral
turned all his ships eight points simultaneously, invert-
ing the order of his line, to rescue his injured vessel.
To attempt an attack upon the Lothringen would have
meant forcing his way through the German line, and
with the ever-growing disparity of numbers he did not
dare to risk so hazardous a venture. But before he
could effect his purpose, the German Admiral closed on
the Duncan, and from the Sachsen's and Grosser
Kurfuersfs n-in. turrets poured in upon her a broadside
of twenty n-in. shells, which struck her almost simul-
taneously— the range was now too short for the gunners
to miss — and caused fearful slaughter and damage on
board her. Two of the projectiles, which were alter-
nately steel shell and capped armour-piercing shell,
perforated her side-armour ; two more hit her fore
barbette ; one exploded against the conning-tower ;
the others hulled her amidships ; and when the smoke
about her lifted for an instant in a puff of the wind, she
was seen to be slowly sinking and motionless. One of
her barbettes was still firing, but she was out of the battle
and doomed. Four British battleships had gone and
two German, though one of these was still afloat and
moving slowly off to the north-east, towards two
divisions of German destroyers, which waited the
moment to close and deal a final blow against the
British Fleet.

CONTINUATION OF THE STRUGGLE AT SEA 103

It was now about 10 a.m., and both fleets drew
apart for some minutes. Another German battleship,
the Westfalien, quitted the German line, and followed
the Lothringen away from the fight. Her two turrets
had been jammed temporarily by the British 12-in.
shells, while most of her smaller guns had been put
out of action by the Agamemnon' 's 9.2-in. weapons,
which had directed upon her a merciless fire. The
Germans could be seen re-forming their divisions, and
one of the battleships moved from the second to the
first division. With seven battleships in each of these
two divisions and five in the third, the Germans once
more approached the British line, which had also re-
formed, the Agamemnon taking station to the rear.
The battle was renewed off Dunbar. Astern of the
Germans, now that the smoke had cleared away, could
be seen fifteen or twenty torpedo craft. Other destroyer
and torpedo divisions were farther away to sea.

The German battleships steamed direct towards
the British battleships, repeating the manoeuvre which
they had employed at the opening of the battle, and
forming their two first divisions in one line, which
moved upon the port bow of the British, while the other
division, the third, advanced against the starboard bow.
Both fleets reopened fire, and to avoid passing between
the two German lines, Lord Ebbfleet turned towards the
main German force, hoping, at even this eleventh
hour, to retrieve the fortunes of the disastrous day by
the use of his big ships' batteries. Turning in suc-
cession in the attempt to cross his enemy's bows, his
ships received a very heavy fire from both German
lines ; simultaneously the conning-towers of the Van-
guard and the Sachsen were struck by several shells.
Two British 12-in. projectiles caught the Sachsen' s tower
in succession ; the first weakened the structure and
probably killed every one inside, among them Admiral
Helmann ; the second practically demolished it, leaving
it a complete wreck.

The blow of the German 11-in. shell upon the Van-

104 THE INVASION OF 1910

guard's tower was equally fatal. Lord Ebbfleet
was killed by a splinter, and his chief-of-the-staff
received mortal injuries. Not a man in the tower
escaped untouched. The brains of both fleets were
paralysed, and the Vanguard steered wildly. The
German destroyers saw their opportunity, and rushed
in. Four boats came straight at the huge hull of the
British flagship from ahead, and before she could be
got under control, a torpedo fired from one of them
hit her right forward, breaching two compartments and
admitting a great quantity of water. Her bows sank
in the sea somewhat, but she clung to her place in the
line for some minutes, then dropped out, and, in mani-
fest difficulty, headed for the shore, which was close at
hand to the south. Another division of four destroyers
charged on her, but her great turrets were still intact,
and received them with a murderous fire of 12-in.
shrapnel.

Two of the six guns made hits and wrecked two boats
past recognition ; the other four missed the swiftly
moving targets, and two boats survived the first dis-
charge and closed, one to port, and one to starboard.
Her smaller guns were out of action, or unable to stop
the boats with their fire. Both boats discharged two
torpedoes ; three torpedoes missed, but the fourth
struck the flagship under the fore-turret. She took
in so much water that she grounded, east of Dunbar,
and lay there submerged up to the level of her main
deck, and unable to use her big guns lest the concussion
should shake her in this position to pieces. The
Germans detached the battleship Preussen to wreck
her with its fire. With the rest of their fleet they
followed the remaining British ships, which were now
heading seawards. Admiral Parker had determined to
make a vigorous effort to escape to the south-east along
the British coast, and surviving, to fight again on a
less disastrous day, with the odds more even. Nothing
could be achieved with nine ships against eighteen,
even though many of the eighteen were much damaged.

CONTINUATION OF THE STRUGGLE AT SEA 105

Moreover, on board some of the British ships ammunition
was beginning to run low.

The seventeen German ships formed into a single
line and pursued the British, steering a parallel course,
the head of the German line somewhat overlapping the
head of the British line, so that the four German battle-
ships of the " Sachsen " class could bring their entire fire
to bear upon the three remaining " Dreadnoughts." The
other fourteen German battleships pounded the six
older and weaker British battleships in the line. The
distance between the two fleets was from 4500 to
6000 yards, and the fire of each fleet was slow, as the
want of ammunition was beginning to be felt. For
nearly five hours the two fleets had fought ; it was
now 11.30 a.m. Well out to sea, and some distance
to leeward of the German battleships, the British cap-
tains could discern several German armoured cruisers,
which, after having effected hasty repairs and shipped
further ammunition from a store-ship in the offing, were
closing once more. With them were at least four or
five divisions of torpedo craft, shadowing and following
the movements of the two fleets, prepared to rush in
if a favourable opportunity offered. Both fleets were
making about thirteen knots, for the worst damaged of
the British battleships were not good for much more.

The fire of the Thunderer s 12-in. guns, concentrated
on the hull of the Sachsen, at last began to produce
some effect. The conning-tower had already been
wrecked by the Vanguard' s guns, which rendered the
control and direction of the ship a matter of great
difficulty. Two of her n-in. turrets were also out of
action, jammed by shells or completely disabled. She
turned northward out of the German line, about twelve,
leaving the Bayern at its head. About the same time
the Albemarle signalled that she was in extreme difficulty ;
a great fire was raging on board her, her funnels were
much damaged, both her masts were down, two com-
partments were full, and but few of her guns could
fire. Looking down the British line from the battered

io6 THE INVASION OF 1910

afterbridge of the Thunderer, it was evident that other
ships were finding difficulty in keeping station. Strange
changes and transformations had been worked in their
outward appearance. Funnels and cowls were gone,
masts had been levelled, heaps of wreckage appeared in
place of the trim lines of the grey-painted steel-work.
The sea was red with the blood that poured from the
scuppers. Great rents gaped everywhere in the un-
armoured works.

In the German line the conditions were much the
same. Certain ships were dropping from their stations
and receding to the rear of the long procession ; many
of the German battleships had been grievously mauled ;
all showed evident traces of the British gunners' handi-
work. The huge steel superstructures of the " Deutsch-
land" class were wrecked beyond recognition. The
Braunschweig, as the result of receiving a concentrated
broadside from the Better ophon, which caught her near
the foot of her foremast, had an immense opening in
the hull extending from the fore-turret to the foremast
6.7-in. gun turret, and her fore-funnel and foremast were
completely shot away ; her conning-tower, with its
armoured support, stood up out of the gap, from which
poured volumes of smoke and steam. She was clearly
in a parlous condition, and only her after-turret still
fired.

About 1 p.m. the Albemarle could keep up with
the British line no longer. Admiral Parker signalled
to her, with extreme difficulty, for most of his signalling
appliances were shot away, and his message had to be
conveyed by " flag-wagging," to beach herself if possible
on the coast to the south. To have turned with his
fleet to protect her would have meant annihilation of
the rest of his force. She stood away to the south,
and as the rest of the British fleet, now only six ships
strong, increased speed to about fifteen knots, two
German battleships were seen to follow her, shell her,
and then rejoin the German fleet. The remnant of the
British fleet, with the Agamemnon at the rear in the

CONTINUATION OF THE STRUGGLE AT SEA 107

place of honour, began slowly to draw out of range,
though still to the north the German torpedo craft
followed in a sinister manner, and caused the more
anxiety because, in view of the large quantity of am-
munition that had been expended, and the great damage
that had been done to all the smaller guns in the sur-
viving British ships, their attacks would be extremely
difficult to resist with success.

About 2 p.m. the German Admiral fired the last
shot of the great battle of North Berwick at a range
of 10,000 yards.

CHAPTER VIII

SITUATION IN THE NORTH

Meanwhile let us turn to the state of affairs on land.
When the intelligence of the invasion was received.
Lancashire and Yorkshire were in a state of utter panic.

The first news, which reached Leeds, Bradford,
Manchester, Liverpool, and the other great centres of
commerce, about four o'clock on Sunday afternoon, was
at once discredited.

Everyone declared the story to be a huge hoax.
As the people assembled in the places of worship that
evening, the amazing rumour was eagerly discussed;
and later on, when the Sunday evening crowds pro-
menaded the principal thoroughfares — Briggate in Leeds,
Market Street in Manchester, Corporation Street in
Birmingham, Cheapside in Barnsley, and the principal
streets of Chester, Liverpool, Halifax, Huddersfield,
Rochdale, Bolton, and Wigan — wild reports of the dash
upon our east coast were upon everyone's tongue.

There was, however, no authentic news, and the
newspapers in the various towns all hesitated to issue
special editions — first because it was Sunday night, and
secondly because the editors had no desire to^spread
a wider panic than that already created.

Upon the windows of the Yorkshire Post office in
Leeds some of the telegrams were posted and read by
large crowds, while the Manchester Courier, in Man-
chester, and the Birmingham Daily Post, in Birmingham,
followed a similar example.

The telegrams were brief and conflicting, some from

108

SITUATION IN THE NORTH 109

the London correspondents, and others from the Central
News, the Press Association, and the Exchange Tele-
graph Company. Most of the news, however, in that
early stage of the alarm was culled from the exclusive
information obtained by the enterprise of the sub-editor
of the Weekly Dispatch.

Leeds, the first city in Yorkshire, was the centre
of most intense excitement on that hot, stifling Sunday
night. The startling report spread like wildfire, first
from the office of the Yorkshire Post among the crowds
that were idling away their Sunday evening gossiping in
Boar Lane, Briggate, and the Hunslett Road, and quickly
the whole city from Burton Head to Chapel Town, and
from Burmantofts to Armley Park, was in a ferment.

The sun sank with a misty, angry afterglow pre-
cursory of rain, and by the time the big clock in the
tower of the Royal Exchange showed half-past seven the
scene in the main streets was already an animated one.
The whole city was agog. The astounding news, carried
everywhere by eager, breathless people, had reached to
even the remotest suburbs, and thousands of alarmed
mill-hands and workers came flocking into town to
ascertain the actual truth.

As at Leeds, so all through Lancashire and Yorkshire,
Volunteers were assembling in breathless eagerness for
the order to mobilise. But there was the same cry of
unpreparedness everywhere. The Volunteer battalions
of the Manchester Regiment at Patricroft, at Hulme, at
Ashton-under-Lyne, at Manchester, and at Oldham ;
those of the Liverpool Regiment at Prince's Park, at
St. Anne's, at Shaw Street, at Everton Brow, at Everton
Road, and at Southport ; those of the Lancashire
Fusiliers at Bury, Rochdale, and Salford ; the Hallam-
shire Volunteers at Sheffield ; the York and Lancasters
at Doncaster ; the King's Own Light Infantry at
Wakefield ; the battalions of the Yorkshires at North-
allerton and Scarborough, that of the East Yorkshires at
Beverley, and those of the West Yorkshires at York and
Bradford.

no THE INVASION OF 1910

BY THE KING,

PROCLAMATION

FOR CALLING OUT
THE ARMY RESERVE.

EDWARD R.

WHEREAS by the Reserve Forces Act, 1882, it is amongst other
things enacted that in case of imminent national danger or of great
emergency, it shall be lawful for Us, by Proclamation, the occasion
being declared in Council and notified by the Proclamation, if Parlia-
ment be not then sitting, to order that the Army Reserve shall be
called out on permanent service ; and by any such Proclamation to
order a Secretary of State from time to time to give, and when given,
to revoke or vary such directions as may seem necessary or proper
for calling out the forces or force mentioned in the Proclamation, or
all or any of the men belonging thereto :

AND WHEREAS Parliament is not sitting, and whereas WE
have declared in Council and hereby notify the present state of Public
Affairs and the extent of the demands on our Military Forces for the
protection of the interests of the Empire constitute a case of great
emergency within the meaning of the said Act :

NOW THEREFORE We do in pursuance of the said Act hereby
order that Our Army Reserve be called out on permanent service, and
We do hereby order the Right Honourable Charles Leonard Spencer
Cotterell, one of our Principal Secretaries of State, from time to
time to give, and when given, to revoke or vary such directions as
may seem necessary or proper for calling out Our Army Reserve, or
all or any of the men belonging thereto, and such men shall proceed
to and attend at such places and at such times as may be respectively
appointed by him to serve as part of Our Army until their services are
no longer required.

Given at our Court at James', this fourth day of September, in the
year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and ten, and in
the tenth year of Our Reign.

GOD SAVE THE KING.

SITUATION IN THE NORTH in

In Halifax great crowds assembled around the
office of the Yorkshire Daily Observer, at the top of
Russell Street, where the news received by telephone
from Bradford was being constantly posted up.
Huddersfield, with its cloth and woollen factories, was
paralysed by the astounding intelligence. The electric
trams brought in crowds from Cliff End, Oakes Fartown,
Mold Green, and Lockwood, while telephone messages
from Dewsbury, Elland, Mirfield, Wyke, Cleckheaton,
Overdon, Thornton, and the other towns in the vicinity
all spoke of the alarm and excitement that had so
suddenly spread over the West Riding.

The mills would shut down. That was prophesied
by everyone. And, if so, then before many days wives
and families would most certainly be crying for food.
Masters and operatives alike recognised the extreme
gravity of the situation, and quickly the panic spread to
every home throughout that densely populated industrial
area.

The city of Bradford was, as may well be imagined,
in a state of ferment. In the red, dusky sunset a
Union Jack was flying from the staff above Watson's
shop at the corner of Market Street, and the excited
throngs, seeing it, cheered lustily. Outside the Bradford
Daily Telegraph and the Yorkshire Daily Observer offices
the latest intelligence was posted, the streets being
blocked by the eager people who had come in by car
from Manningham, Heaton, Tyersall, Dudley Hill,
Eccleshill, Idle, Thackley, and other places.

Bolton, like the neighbouring towns, was ruled by
Manchester, and the masters eagerly went there on
Monday to go on 'Change and ascertain the exact
situation. They knew, alas ! that the alarm must have
a disastrous effect upon the cotton trade, and more than
one spinner when the astounding news had been told
him on the previous night, knew well that he could
not possibly meet his engagements, and that only bank-
ruptcy was before him.

In every home, rich and poor, not only in Bolton

ii2 THE INVASION OF 1910

but out at Farnworth, Kearsley, Over Hulton, Sharpies,
and Heaton the terrible catastrophe was viewed with
abject terror. The mills would eventually close, without
a doubt ; if Manchester sent forth its mandate, then
for the thousands of toilers it meant absolute starvation.

Those not at work assembled in groups in the
vicinity of the Town Hall, and in Cheapside, Moor Street,
Newport Street, Bridge Street, and the various central
thoroughfares, eagerly discussing the situation, while
outside Messrs. Tillotson's, the Evening News office in
Mealhouse Lane, the latest telegrams from London and
Manchester were posted, being read by a great crowd,
which entirely blocked the thoroughfare. The Evening
News, with characteristic smartness, was being published
hourly, and copies were sold as fast as the great presses
could print them, while a special meeting of the Town
Council was summoned and met at twelve o'clock to
discuss what steps should be taken in case the mills
really did close and the great populace were thrown on
the town in anger and idleness.

The cotton trade was already feeling the effect of
the sudden crisis, for by noon startling reports were
reaching Bolton from Manchester of unprecedented
scenes on 'Change and of the utter collapse of business.

Most mill-owners were already in Manchester. All
who were near enough at once took train — from South-
port, Blackpool, Morecambe, and other places — and
went on 'Change to learn what was intended. Mean-
while, through the whole of Monday authentic reports
of the enemy's movements in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex,
and East Yorkshire were being printed by the Evening
News, each edition increasing the panic in that level-
headed, hard-working Lancashire town.

Across at smoky Wigan similar alarm and unrest
reigned. On that Monday morning, bright and sunny,
everyone re-started work, hoping for the best. Pearson
and Knowles' and the Pemberton Collieries were running
full time ; Ryland's mills and Ekersley's spinning mills
were also full up with work, for there was an era of as

SITUATION IN THE NORTH 113

great a prosperity in Wigan as in Bolton, Rochdale,
Oldham, and other Lancashire towns. Never for the
past ten years had the cotton and iron industries been so
prosperous ; yet in one single day — nay, in a few brief
hours — the blow had fallen, and trade had become
paralysed.

Spy mania was rife everywhere. In Oldham an
innocent German, agent of a well-known firm in Chemnitz,
while walking along Manchester Street about one o'clock,
was detected as a foreigner and compelled to seek pro-
tection inside a shop. From Chadderton to Lees, from
Royton to Hollinwood, the crisis was on everyone's lips.
Here again was the crucial question : Would the mills
close ?

Meanwhile, across at Liverpool, the wildest scenes
were also taking place on 'Change. News over the wires
from London became hourly more alarming, and this,
combined with the rumour that German warships were
cruising off the Mersey estuary, created a perfect panic
in the city. The port was already closed, for the mouth
of the river had been blocked by mines ; yet the report
quickly got abroad that the Germans would send in
merchant ships to explode them and enter the Mersey
after thus clearing away the deadly obstacles.

Liverpool knew too well the ridiculously weak state
of her defences, which had so long been a reproach to
the authorities, and if the German ships that had done
such damage at Penarth, Cardiff, and Barry were now
cruising north, as reported, it seemed quite within the
bounds of probability that a demonstration would really
be made before Liverpool.

Outside and within the great Exchange the excite-
ment was at fever heat. The Bank Charter was sus-
pended, and the banks had closed with one accord.
Upon the " flags " the cotton-brokers were shouting
excitedly, and many a ruined man knew that that would
be his last appearance there. Every moment over the
telephones came news from Manchester, each record
more disastrous than the last. Hot, perspiring men
8

ii4 THE INVASION OF 1910

who had lived, and lived well, by speculation in cotton
for years, surged around the great pediment adorned
by its allegorical group of sculpture, and saw each
moment their fortunes falling away like ice in the sun-
shine.

Thus trade in Lancashire — cotton, wool, iron, and
corn — was, in the course of one single morning, utterly
paralysed, all awaiting the decision of Manchester.

Thousands were already face to face with financial
disaster, even in those first moments of the alarm.

The hours passed slowly. What was Manchester
doing ? Her decision was now awaited with bated
breath throughout the whole of Lancashire and York-
shire.

In Manchester, the Courier, the Daily Mail, and the
several other journals kept publishing edition after
edition, not only through the day, but also through
the night. Presses were running unceasingly, and hour
after hour were printed accounts of the calm and
orderly way in which the enemy were completing their
unopposed landing at Goole, Grimsby, Yarmouth,
Lowestoft, King's Lynn, and on the Blackwater.

Some British destroyers had interfered with the
German plans at the latter place, and two German
warships had been sunk, the Courier reported. But full
details were not yet forthcoming.

There had been a good deal of skirmishing in the
neighbourhood of Maldon, and again near Harleston, on
the Suffolk border. The town of Grimsby had been
half destroyed by fire, and the damage at Hull had been
enormous. From a timber-yard there the wind had, it
seemed, carried the flames across to the Alexandra
Dock, where some stores had ignited and a quantity of
valuable shipping in the dock had been destroyed at
their moorings. The Paragon station and hotel had
also been burned — probably by people of Hull them-
selves, in order to drive the German commander from
his headquarters.

From Newcastle, Gateshead, and Tynemouth came

SITUATION IN THE NORTH 115

harrowing details of bombardment, and the frightful
result of those awful petrol bombs. Fire and destruction
had been spread broadcast everywhere.

On the Manchester Exchange on Tuesday there was
no longer any reason to doubt the accuracy of Sunday's
report, and the feeling on 'Change became " panicky."
It seemed as though the whole of the ten thousand
members had made up their minds to be present. The
main entrance in Cross Street was blocked for the
greater part of the afternoon, and late comers dodged
round to the two entrances in Market Street, and the
third in Bank Street, in the hope of squeezing through
into the vibrating mass of humanity that rilled the
floors, the corridors, and the telephone, reading, and
writing rooms. The attendants found they had an
impossible task set them to make their way to the
many lanterns around the vast hall, there to affix the
latest messages, recording astounding fluctuations of
prices, and now and again some news of the invasion.
The master and secretary in the end told the attendants
to give up the struggle, and he made his way with diffi-
culty to the topmost balcony, where, above the mur-
murings of the crowd below, he read the latest bulletins
of commercial and general intelligence as they arrived.

But there were no efforts made to do business ; and had
any of the members felt so inclined, the crush and stress
were so great that any attempt to book orders would
have ended in failure. In the swaying of the crowd hats
were lost and trampled under foot ; men whose appear-
ance on 'Change had always been immaculate were to
be seen with torn collars and disarranged neckwear.
Never before had such a scene been witnessed. Lanca-
shire men had often heard of such a state of things
having occurred in the " pit " of the New York Ex-
change, when wild speculation in cotton was indulged
in, but they prided themselves that they were never
guilty of such conduct. No matter how the market
jumped, they invariably kept their heads, and waited
until it assumed its normal condition, and became

n6 THE INVASION OF 1910

settled. It had often been said that nothing short
of an earthquake would unnerve the Manchester
commercial man ; those who were responsible for the
statement had evidently not turned a thought to a
German invasion. That had done it completely.

In the cafes and the hotels, where the master-spinners
and the manufacturers had been wont to forgather
after high 'Change, there were the usual gatherings,
but there was little or no discussion on business matters,
except this : there was a common agreement that it
would, in present circumstances, be inadvisable to
keep the mills running. Work must be, and it was,
completely suspended. The shippers, who had the
manufacturers under contract to supply certain quantities
of goods for transportation to their markets in India,
China, and the Colonies, trembled at the very con-
templation of the financial losses they would inevitably
sustain by the non-delivery of the bales of cloth to their
customers abroad ; but, on the other hand, they also paid
heed to the great danger of the vessels in which the
goods were placed falling into the hands of the enemy
when at sea. The whole question was full of grim
perplexities, and even the most impatient among
the shippers and the merchants had to admit that a
policy of do-nothing seemed the safest course of pro-
cedure.

The chaotic scenes on 'Change in the afternoon
were reproduced in the streets in the evening, and the
Lord Mayor, towards eight o'clock, fearful of rioting,
sent special messengers to the headquarters of three
Volunteer corps for assistance in regulating street traffic.
The officers in command immediately responded to
the call. The 2nd V.B.M.R. took charge of Piccadilly
and Market Street ; the 4th were stationed in Cross
Street and Albert Square ; and the 5th lined Deansgate
from St. Mary's Gate to Peter Street. Mounted con-
stabulary, by the exercise of tact and good temper,
kept the crowds on the move, and towards midnight
the pressure became so light that the officers felt per-

SITUATION IN THE NORTH 117

fectly justified in withdrawing the Volunteers, who
spent that night at their respective headquarters.

It was Wednesday, however, before Manchester
people could thoroughly realise that the distressing
news was absolutely true, and on the top of the con-
firmation came the startling report that the Fleet had
been crippled, and immense troops of Germans were
landing at Hull, Lowestoft, Yarmouth, Goole, and
other places on the east, with the object of sweeping
the country.

CHAPTER IX

STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED

The authentic account of a further landing in Essex
— somewhere near Maldon — was now published. The
statement had been dictated by Mr. Henry Alexander,
J. P., — the Mayor of Maldon, who had succeeded in
escaping from the town, — to Captain Wilfred Quare, of
the Intelligence Department of the War Office. This
Department had, in turn, given it to the newspapers
for publication.

It read as follows : —

" On Sunday morning, September 2, I had arranged
to play a round of golf with my friend Somers, of Beeleigh,
before church. I met him at the Golf Hut about 8.30.
We played one round, and were at the last hole but
three in a second round when we both thought we
heard the sound of shots fired somewhere in the town.
We couldn't make anything at all of it, and as we had
so nearly finished the round, we thought we would do
so before going up to inquire about it. I was making
my approach to the final hole when an exclamation
from Somers spoilt my stroke. I felt annoyed, but as
I looked round — doubtless somewhat irritably — my
eyes turned in the direction in which I now saw my
friend was pointing with every expression of astonish-
ment in his countenance.

" ' Who on earth are those fellows? ' he asked. As
for me, I was too dumbfounded to reply. Galloping
over the links from the direction of the town came three

STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED 119

men in uniform — soldiers, evidently. I had often been
in Germany, and recognised the squat pickel-haubes
and general get-up of the rapidly approaching horsemen
at a glance.

" ' I didn't know the Yeomanry were out ! ' was what
my friend said.

" ' Yeomanry be hanged ! They're Germans, or I'm
a Dutchman ! ' I answered ; ' and what the dickens can
they be doing here ? '

" They were upon us almost as I spoke, pulling up
their horses with a great spattering up of grass and
mud, quite ruining one of our best greens. All three of
them pointed big, ugly repeating pistols at us, and the
leader, a conceited-looking ass in staff uniform, required
us to ' surrender ' in quite a pompous manner, but in
very good English.

" ' Do we look so very dangerous, Herr Lieutenant ? '
inquired I in German.

" He dropped a little of his frills when he heard me
speak in his native language, asked which of us was the
Mayor, and condescended to explain that I was required
in Maldon by the officer at present in command of His
Imperial Majesty the Kaiser's forces occupying that
place.

" I was absolutely staggered.

" When I left my house a couple of hours back I had
just as much expectation of finding the Chinese there on
my return as the Germans. I looked at my captor in
complete bewilderment. Could he be some fellow trying
to take a rise out of me by masquerading as a German
officer ? But no, I recognised at once that he was the
genuine article. Everything about him, from the badly-
cut riding-boots to the sprouting moustache] curled up
in feeble imitation of the Emperor's characteristic
adornment, bore witness to his identity. If anything
were wanting, it was supplied by his aggressive
manner.

M I suggested that he might point his pistol some
other way. I added that if he wanted to try his skill

120 THE INVASION OF 1910

as marksman it would be more sporting to aim at the
flag at the Long Hole near Beeleigh Lock.

" He took my banter in good part, but demanded
my parole, which I made no difficulty about giving,
since 1 did not see any way of escape, and in any case
was only too anxious to get back to town to see how
things were.

" ' But you don't want my friend, do you — he
lives out the other way ? ' I queried.

" ' I don't want him, but he will have to come
all the same,' rejoined the German. 'It isn't likely
we're going to let him get away to give the alarm in
Colchester, is it ? *

" Obviously it was not, and without more ado we
started off at a sharp walk, holding on to the stirrup
leathers of the horsemen.

"As we entered the town there was, on the bridge
over the river, a small picket of blue-coated German
infantry. The whole thing was a perfect nightmare.
It was past belief.

" ' How on earth did you get here ? ' I couldn't help
asking. ' Did you come down from town in an excursion
train or by balloon ? '

" My German officer laughed.

" ' By water,' he answered shortly, pointing down
the river as he spoke, where I was still further astonished
— if it were possible after such a morning— to see several
steam pinnaces and boats flying the black and white
German ensign.

" I was conducted straight to the Moot Hall. He
already knew his way about, this German, it seemed.
There I found a grizzled veteran waiting on the steps,
who turned round and entered the building as we came
up. We followed him inside, and I was introduced to
him. He appeared to be a truculent old ruffian.

" ' Well, Mr. Mayor,' he said, pulling viciously at his
white moustache, ' do you know that I've a great mind
to take you out into the street and have you shot ? "

" I was not at all inclined to be browbeaten.

STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED 121

" ' Indeed, Herr Hauptman ? ' I answered. ' And
may I inquire in what way I have incurred the dis-
pleasure of the Hochwohlgeboren officer ? '

" ' Don't trifle with me, sir. Why do you allow your
miserable Volunteers to come out and shoot my
men ? '

" ' My Volunteers ? I am afraid I don't understand
what you mean,' I said. ' I'm not a Volunteer officer.
Even if I were, I should have no cognisance of anything
that has happened within the last two hours, as I have
been down on the golf course. This officer will bear
me out,' I added, turning to my captor. He admitted
that he had found me there.

" ' But, anyway, you are the Mayor,' persisted my
interrogator. ' Why did you allow the Volunteers to
come out ? '

" ' If you had been good enough to inform us of your
visit, we might have made better arrangements,' I
answered, ' but in any case you must understand that a
mayor has little or no authority in this country. His
job is to head subscription-lists, eat a dinner or two, and
make speeches on public occasions.'

" He seemed to have some difficulty in swallowing this,
but as another officer who was there, writing at a table,
and who, it appears, had lived at some period in England,
corroborated my statement, the choleric colonel seemed
to be a little mollified, and contented himself with
demanding my parole not to leave Maldon until he had
reported the matter to the General for decision. I gave
it without more ado, and then asked if he would be
good enough to tell me what had happened. From
what he told me, and what I heard afterwards, it seems
that the Germans must have landed a few of their men
about half an hour before I left home, down near the
Marine Lake. They had not entered the town at once,
as their object was to work round outside and occupy
all the entrances, to prevent anyone getting away with
the news of their presence. They had not noticed the
little lane leading to the golf course, and so I had gone

122 THE INVASION OF 1910

down without meeting any of them, although they had
actually got a picket just beyond the railway arch at
that time. They had completed their cordon before
there was any general alarm in the town, but at the
first reliable rumour it seems that young Shand, of the
Essex Volunteers, had contrived to get together twenty
or thirty of his men in their uniforms and foolishly
opened fire on a German picket down by St. Mary's
Church. They fell back, but were almost instantly
reinforced by a whole company that had just landed,
and our men, rushing forward, had been ridden into by
some cavalry that came up a side street. They were dis-
persed, a couple of them were killed and several wounded,
among them poor Shand, who was hit in the right
lung. They had bagged four Germans, however, and
their commanding officer was furious. It was a pity that
it happened, as it could not possibly have been of any
use. But it seems that Shand had no idea that it was
more than a very small detachment that had landed
from a gunboat that someone said they had seen down
the river. Some of the Volunteers were captured after-
wards and sent off as prisoners, and the Germans
posted up a notice that all Volunteers were forthwith to
surrender either themselves or their arms and uniforms,
under pain of death. Most of them did the latter.
They could do nothing after it was found that the
Germans had a perfect army somewhere between Maldon
and the sea, and were pouring troops into the town as
fast as they could.

" That very morning a Saxon rifle battalion arrived
from the direction of Mundon, and just afterwards a
lot of spike-helmeted gentlemen came in by train from
Wickford way. So it went on all day, until the whole
town was in a perfect uproar. Another rifle battalion,
then some sky-blue hussars and some artillery, then
three more battalions of a regiment called the ioist
Grenadiers, I believe. The infantry were billeted in
the town, but the cavalry and guns crossed the river
and canal at Heybridge, and went off in the direction

STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED 123

of Witham. Later on, another infantry regiment came
in by train and marched out after them.

" Maldon is built on a hill that slopes gradually
towards the east and south, but rises somewhat abruptly
on the west and north, humping up a shoulder, as it
were, to the north-west. At this corner they started to
dig entrenchments just after one o'clock, and soon officers
and orderlies were busy all round the town, plotting,
measuring, and setting up marks of one kind and another.
Other troops appeared to be busy down in Heybridge,
but what they were doing I could not tell, as no one
was allowed to cross the bridge over the river.

" The German officer who had surprised me down
on the golf course did not turn out to be a bad kind of
youth on further acquaintance. He was a Captain
von Hildebrandt, of the Guard Fusilier Regiment, who
was employed on the Staff, though in what capacity
he did not say. Thinking it was just as well to make
the best of a bad job, I invited him to lunch. He said
he had to be 06. He, however, introduced me to
three friends of his in the 101st Grenadiers, who, he
suggested, should be billeted on me. I thought the
idea a fairly good one, and Von Hildebrandt, having
apparently arranged this with the billeting officer with-
out any difficulty, I took them home with me to lunch.

" I found my wife and family in a great state of
mind, both on account of the untoward happenings of
the morning and my non-return from golf at the ex-
pected time. They had imagined all sorts of things
which might have befallen me, but luckily seemed not
to have heard of my adventure with the choleric colonel.
Our three foreigners soon made themselves very much
at home, but as they were undeniably gentlemen, they
contrived to be about as agreeable as could be expected
under the circumstances. Indeed, their presence was
to a great extent a safeguard against annoyance, as the
stable and back premises were stuffed full of soldiers,
who might have been very troublesome had they not
been there to keep them in order.

124 THE INVASION OF 1910

" Of what was happening up in London we knew
nothing. Being Sunday, all the shops were shut ; but
I went out and contrived to lay in a considerable stock
of provisions one way and another, and it was just
as well I did, for I only just anticipated the Germans,
who commandeered everything in the town and put
everybody on an allowance of rations. They paid for
them with bills on the British Government, which were
by no means acceptable to the shopkeepers. However,
it was ' Hobson's choice ' — that or nothing. The
Germans soothed them by saying that the British Army
would be smashed in a couple of weeks, and the defray-
ment of such bills would be among the conditions of
peace. The troops generally seemed to be well-behaved,
and treated those inhabitants with whom they came in
contact in an unexceptionable manner. They did not
see very much of them, however, as they were kept hard
at work all day with their entrenchments and were not
allowed out of their billets after eight o'clock that
evening. No one, in fact, was allowed to be about the
streets after that hour. On the other hand, a couple of
poor young fellows in the Volunteers who had concealed
their connection with the force and were trying to slip
out of the town with their rifles after dark, were caught,
and the next morning stood up against the three-cornered
tower of All Saints' Church and shot without mercy.
Two or three other people were shot by the sentries as
they tried to break out in one direction or the other.
These affairs produced a feeling? of horror and indigna-
tion in the town, as Englishmen, having such a long
experience of peace in their own country, have always
refused to realise what war really means.

" The German fortifications went on at a rapid rate.
Trenches were dug all round the northern and western
sides of the town before dark on the first evening, and
the following morning I woke up to find three huge
gun-pits yawning in my garden, which looked to the
northward. One was right in the middle of the lawn —
or rather of where the lawn had been, for all the grass

STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED 125

that had not been displaced in the digging had been
cut up in sods to build up the insides of their parapets.
During breakfast there was a great rattling and rumbling
in the street without, and presently three big field
howitzers were dragged in and planted in the pits.
There they stood, their ugly snouts pointing skyward
in the midst of the wreck of flowers and fruit.

" Afterwards I went out and found that other guns
and howitzers were being put in position all along the
north side of Beeleigh Road, and round the corner by
the Old Barracks. The high tower of the disused
Church of St. Peter's, now utilised for the safe custody
of Dr. Plume's library, had been equipped as a look-
out and signal station."

Such was the condition of affairs in the town of
Maldon on Monday morning.

The excitement in London, and indeed all over the
country, on Tuesday night was intense. Scotney's
story of the landing at Weybourne was eagerly read
everywhere.

As the sun sank blood-red into the smoke haze
behind Nelson's Monument in Trafalgar Square, it was
an ominous sign to the panic-stricken crowds that day
and night were now assembled there.

The bronze lions facing the four points of the compass
were now mere mocking emblems of England's departed
greatness. The mobilisation muddle was known ; for,
according to the papers, hardly any troops had, as yet,
assembled at their places of concentration. The whole
of the East of England was helplessly in the invader's
hands. From Newcastle had come terrible reports of
the bombardment. Half the city was in flames, the
Elswick works were held by the enemy, and whole
streets in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, and Tyne-
mouth were still burning fiercely.

The Tynemouth fort had proved of little or no use
against the enemy's guns. The Germans had, it ap-

126 THE INVASION OF 1910

peared, used petrol bombs with appalling results, spread-
ing fire, disaster, and death everywhere. The inhabit-
ants, compelled to fly with only the clothes they wore,
had scattered all over Northumberland and Durham,
while the enemy had seized a quantity of valuable
shipping that had been in the Tyne, hoisted the German
flag, and converted the vessels to their own uses.

Many had already been sent across to Wilhelms-
haven, Emden, Bremerhaven, and other places to act
as transports, while the Elswick works — which surely
ought to have been properly protected — supplied the
Germans with quantities of valuable material.

Panic and confusion were everywhere. All over
the country the railway system was utterly disorganised,
business everywhere was at a complete deadlock, for
in every town and city all over the kingdom the banks
were closed.

Lombard Street, Lothbury, and other banking
centres in the City had all day on Monday been the
scene of absolute panic. There, as well as at every
branch bank all over the metropolis, had occurred a
wild rush to withdraw deposits by people who foresaw
disaster. Many, indeed, intended to fly with their
families away from the country.

The price of the necessities of life had risen further,
and in the East End and poorer districts of Southwark
the whole population were already in a state of semi-
starvation. But worst of all, the awful truth with
which London was now face to face was that the metro-
polis was absolutely defenceless.

Would not some effort be made to repel the in-
vaders ? Surely if we had lost our command of the
sea the War Office could, by some means, assemble
sufficient men to at least protect London ? This was
the cry of the wild, turbulent crowd surging through the
City and West End, as the blood-red sun sank into
the west, flooding London in its warm afterglow — a
light in the sky that was prophetic of red ruin and
of death to those wildly excited millions.

STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED 127

NOTICE.

TO ALL GERMAN SUBJECTS RESIDENT
IN ENGLAND.

WILHELM.

To all OUR LOYAL SUBJECTS,
GREETING.

We hereby COMMAND and enjoin that all
persons born within the German Empire, or
being German subjects, whether liable to
military service or not, shall join our arms at
any headquarters of either of our Army Corps
in England within 24 hours of the date of this
proclamation.

Any German subject failing to obey this our
Command will be treated as an enemy.

By the EMPEROR'S Command.

Given at Beccles, Sept. 3rd, 19 10.

VON KRONHELM,

Commanding the Imperial German Army in England.

FACSIMILE OF A PROCLAMATION POSTED BY UNKNOWN
HANDS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

128 THE INVASION OF 1910

Every hour the papers were appearing with fresh
details of the invasion, for reports were so rapidly
coming in from every hand that the Press had difficulty
in dealing with them.

Hull and Goole were known to be in the hands of
the invaders, and Grimsby, where the Mayor had been
unable to pay the indemnity demanded, had been
sacked. But details were not yet forthcoming.

Londoners, however, learnt late that night more
authentic news from the invaded zone, of which Beccles
was the centre, and it was to the effect that those who
had landed at Lowestoft were the IXth German Army
Corps, with General von Kronhelm, the Generalissimo
of the German Army. This Army Corps, consisting of
about 40,000 men, was divided into the 17th Division,
commanded by Lieutenant-General Hocker, and the
18th by Lieutenant-General von Rauch. The cavalry
was under the command of Major-General von Heyden,
and the motor infantry under Colonel Reichardt.

According to official information which had reached
the War Office and been given to the Press, the 17th
Division was made up of the Bremen and Hamburg
Infantry Regiments, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg's
Grenadiers, the Grand Duke's Fusiliers, the Liibeck
Regiment No. 162, the Schleswig-Holstein Regiment
No. 163, while the cavalry brigade consisted of the
17th and 18th Grand Duke of Mecklenburg's Dragoons.

The 1 8th Division consisted of the Schleswig Regi-
ment No. 84, and the Schleswig Fusiliers No. 86, the
Thuringen Regiment, and the Duke of Holstein's Regi-
ment, the two latter regiments being billeted in Lowes-
toft, while the cavalry brigade forming the screen
across from Leiston by Wilby to Castle Hill were Queen
Wilhelmina's Hanover Hussars and the Emperor of
Austria's Schleswig-Holstein Hussars No. 16. These,
with the smart motor infantry, held every communica-
tion in the direction of London.

As far as could be gathered, the German commander
had established his headquarters in Beccles, and had

STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED 129

not moved. It now became apparent that the tele-
graph cables between the East Coast and Holland and
Germany, already described in the first chapter, had
never been cut at all. They had simply been held by
the enemy's advance agents until the landing had been
effected. And now Von Kronhelm had actually estab-
lished direct communication between Beccles and
Emden, and on to Berlin.

Reports from the North Sea spoke of the enemy's
transports returning to the German coast, escorted by
cruisers ; therefore the plan was undoubtedly not to
move until a very much larger force had been landed.

Could England regain her command of the sea in
time to prevent the completion of the blow ?

The Eastminster Gazette, and similar papers of the
Blue Water School, assured the public that there was
but very little danger. Germany had made a false
move, and would, in the course of a few days, be made
to pay very dearly for it.

But the British public viewed the situation for itself.
It was tired of these self-satisfied reassurances, and
threw the blame upon the political party who had so
often said that armed hostilities had been abolished in
the twentieth century. Recollecting the Czar's pro-
posals for universal peace, and the Russo-Japanese
sequel, they had no further faith in the pro-German
party or in its organs. It was they, cried the orators
m the streets, that had prevented the critics having a
hearing ; they who were culpably responsible for the
inefficient state of our defences ; they who had ridiculed
clever men, the soldiers, sailors, and writers who had
dared to tell the plain, honest, but unpalatable truth.

We were at war, and if we were not careful the war
would spell ruin for our dear old England.

That night the London streets presented a scene
of panic indescribable. The theatres opened, but closed
their doors again, as nobody would see plays while in
that excited state. Every shop was closed, and every
railway station was filled to overflowing with the exodus

130 THE INVASION OF 1910

of terrified people fleeing to the country westward, or
reserves on their way to join the colours.

The incredulous manner in which the country first
received the news had now been succeeded by wild
terror and despair. On that bright Sunday afternoon
they laughed at the report as a mere journalistic sensa-
tion, but ere the sun set the hard, terrible truth was
forced upon them, and now, on Tuesday night, the
whole country, from Brighton to Carlisle, from Yarmouth
to Aberystwyth, was utterly disorganised and in a state
of terrified anxiety.

The Eastern counties were already beneath the iron
heel of the invader, whose objective was the world's
great capital — London.

Would they reach it ? That was the serious question
upon everyone's tongue that fevered, breathless night.

CHAPTER X

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW

The morning of Wednesday, September 5, dawned
brightly, with warm sun and cloudless sky, a perfect
day of English early autumn, yet over the land was a
gloom and depression — the silence of a great terror.
The fate of the greatest nation the world had ever known
was now trembling in the balance.

When the first flush of dawn showed, the public
clamoured for information as to what the War Office
were doing to repel the audacious Teutons. Was
London to be left at their mercy without a shot being
fired ? Was the whole of our military machinery a mere
gold-braided farce ?

Londoners expected that, ere this, British troops
would have faced the foe, and displayed that dogged
courage and grand heroism that had kept their reputa-
tion through centuries as the best soldiers in the world.

The Press, too, were loud in their demands that some-
thing should at once be done, but the authorities still
remained silent, although they were in ceaseless activity.

They were making the best they could out of the
mobilisation muddle.

So suddenly had the blow been struck that no pre-
paration had been made for it. Although the printed
forms and broadsides were, of course, in their dusty
pigeon-holes ready to be filled up, yet where were the
men ? Many had read the proclamation which called
them up for duty with their own corps, and in numberless
cases, with commendable alacrity, they set out on a

131

132 THE INVASION OF 1910

long and tiresome journey to join their respective units,
which were stationed, as is the case in peace-time, all
over the country..

A sturdy Scot, working in Whitechapel, was endeav-
ouring to work his way up to Edinburgh ; a broad-
speaking Lancastrian from Oldham was struggling to
get to his regiment down at Plymouth ; while an easy-
going Irishman, who had conducted an omnibus in
London, gaily left for the Curragh, were a few examples
of the hopeless confusion now in progress.

With the disorganised train and postal services, and
with the railway line cut in various places by the enemy,
how was it possible for these men to carry out the orders
they received ?

Meanwhile, the greatest activity was in progress in
the regimental dep6ts in the Eastern counties, Norwich,
Bury St. Edmunds, Bedford, Warley, Northampton,
and Mill Hill. In London, at Wellington Barracks,
Chelsea Barracks, and the Tower of London, were
witnessed many stirring scenes. Veterans were re-
joining, greeting their old comrades — many of whom had
now become non-commissioned officers since they
themselves left the ranks — while excited crowds pressed
round the barrack squares, wildly cheering, and singing
" God save the King."

There was bustle and movement on every hand, for
the sight of English uniforms aroused the patriotic
enthusiasm of the mob, who, having never been trained
to arms themselves, now realised their own incom-
petency to defend their homes and loved ones.

Farther afield in the Home counties, the Regimental
depdts at Guildford, Canterbury, Hounslow, Kingston,
Chichester, and Maidstone were filling up quickly with
surplus infantry, reservists, and non-efficients of all
descriptions. At Guildford the Royal West Surrey
Regiment were at Stoughton ; at Canterbury were the old
" Buffs " ; at Hounslow the Royal Fusiliers ; at Kingston
the East Surrey Regiment ; at Chichester the Royal
Sussex, and at Maidstone the Royal West Kent.

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 133

Cavalry were assembling at the riding establishments,
while veteran gunners and Army Service Corps men
were making the best of their way by steamer, rail, and
road to Woolwich.

Horses for both cavalry and artillery were urgently
required, but owing to the substitution of the motor-
omnibus for the horse-drawn vehicle in the London
streets, there was no longer that supply of animals which
held us in such good stead during the South African War.

At the depdts feverish excitement prevailed, now
that every man was ordered on active service. All
officers and men who had been on leave were recalled,
and medical inspection of all ranks at once commenced.
Rations and bedding, stores and equipment were drawn,
but there was a great lack of uniforms. Unlike the
German Army, where every soldier's equipment is
complete even to the last button on the proverbial
gaiter, and stowed away where the owner knows where
to obtain it, our officers" commanding dep6ts commenced
indenting for clothing on the Royal Army Clothing
Department, and the Army Corps Clothing Department.

A large percentage of men were, of course, found
medically unfit to serve, and were discharged to swell
the mobs of hungry idlers. The plain clothes of the
reservists coming in were disposed of, no man daring to
appear in the ranks unless in uniform, Von Kronhelm's
proclamation having forbidden the tactics of the Boers
of putting mere armed citizens into the field.

Horse-collecting parties went out all over the country,
taking with them head-collars, head-ropes, bits, reins,
surcingles, numnahs, horse-blankets, and nose-bags.
These scoured every county in search of likely animals.
Every farm, every livery stable, every hunting-box,
all hound-kennels, and private stables were visited, and
a choice made. All this, however, took time. Precious
hours were thus being wasted while the enemy were calmly
completing their arrangements for the long-contemplated
blow at the heart of the British Empire.

While the War Office refused any information,

134 THE INVASION OF 1910

special editions of the papers during Wednesday printed
sensational reports of the ruthless completion of the
impenetrable screen covering the operations of the
enemy on the whole of the East Coast.

News had, by some means, filtered through from
Yarmouth that a similar landing to those at Lowestoft
and Weybourne had been effected. Protected as such
an operation was, by its flanks being supported by the
IVth and IXth Army Corps landing on either side, the
Xth Army Corps under General von Wilburg had
seized Yarmouth, with its many miles of wharves and
docks, which were now crowded by the lighters' craft of
flotilla from the Frisian Islands.

It was known that the landing had been effected
simultaneously with that at Lowestoft. The large
number of cranes at the fish-docks were of invaluable use
to the enemy, for there they landed guns, animals, and
stores, while the provisions they found at the various
ship's chandlers, and in such shops as Blagg's and the
International Stores in King Street, Peter Brown's,
Doughty's, Lipton's, Penny's, and Barnes's, were at
once commandeered. Great stores of flour were seized
in Clarke's and Press's mills, while the horse-provender
mills in the vicinity supplied them with valuable forage.

The hotels in the Market Place — the Bull, the Angel,
the Cambridge, and Foulsham's — were full of men
billeted, while officers occupied the Star, the Crown
and Anchor, and Cromwell House, as well as the Queen's
opposite the Britannia Pier, and the many boarding-
houses along Marine Parade. And over all the effigy of
Nelson looked down in silent contemplation !

Many men, it appeared, had also been landed at the
red-brick little port of Gorleston, the Cliff and Pier
Hotels being also occupied by officers remaining there
to superintend the landing on that side of the Yare
estuary.

Beyond these few details, as far as regarded the fate
of Yarmouth nothing further was at present known.
The British division at Colchester, which comprised

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 135

all the regular troops north of the Thames in the eastern
command, was, no doubt, in a critical position, threat-
ened so closely north and south by the enemy. None
of the regiments, the Norfolks, the Leicestershire, and
the King's Own Scottish Borderers of the nth Infantry
Brigade, were up to their strength. The 12th Infantry
Brigade, which also belonged to the division, possessed
only skeleton regiments stationed at Hounslow and
Warley. Of the 4th Cavalry Brigade, some were at
Norwich, the 21st Lancers were at Hounslow, while only
the 1 6th Lancers were at Colchester. Other cavalry
regiments were as far away as Canterbury, Shorncliffe,
and Brighton, and although there were three batteries
of artillery at Colchester, some were at Ipswich, others
at Shorncliffe, and others at Woolwich.

Therefore it was quite evident to the authorities in
London that unless both Colchester and Norwich were
instantly strongly supported, they would soon be
simply swept out of existence by the enormous masses
of German troops now dominating the whole eastern
coast, bent upon occupying London.

Helpless though they felt themselves to be, the
garrison at Colchester did all they could. All available
cavalry had been pushed out past Ipswich, north to
Wickham Market, Stowmarket, and across to Bury St.
Edmunds, only to find on Wednesday morning that they
were covering the hasty retreat of the small body of
cavalry who had been stationed at Norwich. They,
gallantly led by their officers, had done everything
possible to reconnoitre and attempt to pierce the enemy's
huge cavalry screen, but in every instance entirely in
vain. They had been outnumbered by the squadrons
of independent cavalry operating in front of the Germans,
and had, alas ! left numbers of their gallant comrades
upon the roads, killed and wounded.

Norwich had, therefore, on Wednesday morning,
fallen into the hands of the German cavalry, utterly
defenceless. Reports of the retiring troopers told a
grim story of how the grand old city had fallen. From

CITY OF NORWICH.

CITIZENS —

AS IS WELL KNOWN, a hostile army has landed
upon the coast of Norfolk, and has already occupied
Yarmouth and Lowestoft, establishing their headquarters
at Beccles.

IN THESE GRAVE CIRCUMSTANCES our only
thought is for England, and our duty as citizens and
officials is to remain at our post and bear our part in
the defence of Norwich, our capital now threatened.

YOUR PATRIOTISM, of which you have on so many
occasions in recent wars given proof, will, I have no
doubt, again be shown. By your resistance you will
obtain the honour and respect of your enemies, and by
the individual energy of each one of you the honour and
glory of England may be saved.

CITIZENS OF NORWICH, I appeal to you to view
the catastrophe calmly, and bear your part bravely in the
coming struggle.

CHARLES CARRINGTON,

Mayor.

Norwich, September 4, 1910.

APPEAL ISSUED BY THE MAYOR OF NORWICH.

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 137

the Castle the German flag was now flying, the Britannia
Barracks were being used by the enemy, food had all
been seized, the streets were in a state of chaos, and a
complete reign of terror had been created when a com-
pany of British infantry, having fired at some Uhlans,
were ruthlessly shot down in the street close by the
Maid's Head Hotel.

An attempt at a barricade had been erected at the
top of Prince of Wales's Road, but the enemy, who
came down the Aylsham Road, had soon cleared it.
Many motor cars were seized from Howe's garage,
and the Norfolk Imperial Yeomanry, who were assembled
at their headquarters in Tombland, were quickly dis-
covered, disarmed, and dispersed. Green & Wright's
wholesale provision stores in Upper King Street, as well
as Chandler's in Prince of Wales's Road, Wood's in
London Street, and many other grocers and provision-
dealers were seized, the telegraph lines at the post-
office were taken over by Germans, while, by reason
of a shot fired from a window upon a German soldier
who was passing, the whole block of buildings from
the East Anglia Daily Press office, with Singer's and
the railway receiving office, was deliberately set on
fire, and produced an alarming state of things.

In addition to this, the Mayor of Norwich was
taken prisoner, lodged in the Castle, and held as surety
for the well-behaviour of the town.

Everywhere Von Kronhelm's famous proclamation
was posted, and as the invaders poured into the city
the inhabitants looked on in sullen silence, knowing
that they were now under German military discipline,
the most rigorous and drastic in the whole world.

The nation had, unfortunately, passed by unheeded
the serious warnings of 1905-6. The authorities had
remained impotent, and Mr. Haldane's Army Scheme
had proved useless. The War Office had only one
power within it, that of the man who represented the
Cabinet. The rest were mere instruments.

There were many reports of sharp brushes between

138 THE INVASION OF 1910

our cavalry vedettes and those of the enemy. The
latter belonged to the corps who had established their
headquarters in Maldon, and among those killed was
an officer named Von Pabst, who was a prisoner, and
who was shot while escaping, and in whose pocket was
found a letter addressed to a friend, a certain Captain
Neuhaus, of Lothringen Pioneer Battalion, stationed
at Darmstadt.

It was interesting, for it threw some light upon
the manner that particular corps of the invaders had
embarked at Antwerp, and had apparently been hur-
riedly written in the intervals of the writer's duties with
Prince Henry of Wurtemburg's staff. Having been
secured, it was sent to London, and was as follows : —

"Maldon, England,
" Wednesday, September 5.

" My dear Neuhaus, — Behold me, here at last in the
' tight little island/ by the English so greatly boasted !
So far, we have had absolutely our own way, and have
hardly seen an enemy. But you will be glad to have
some account of my experience in this never-to-be-
forgotten expedition. I was, of course, overjoyed to
find myself appointed to the staff of His Highness Prince
Henry of Wurtemburg, and having obtained leave to
quit my garrison, started for Treves without a moment's
delay. Our troops were to enter Belgium ostensibly
to quell the riots in Brussels. But the line was so
continually blocked by troop-trains going west, that
on arrival I found that he had gone with his army corps
to Antwerp. There at last I was able to report myself
— only just in time. My train got in at noon, and we
sailed the same night.

" Antwerp might have been a German city. It was
simply crammed with our troops. The Pare, the
Pepiniere, the Jardin Zoologique, the Pare du Palais
de 1' Industrie, the Boulevards, and every open space,
was utilised as a bivouac. Prince Henry had his
quarters in a very nice house on the Place Vert, opposite

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 139

the Cathedral, and in the Place itself were picketed the
horses belonging to the squadron of Jaegers zu Pferde,
attached to the Xllth Corps. I rode round with the
Prince in the afternoon, and saw the various regiments
in the bivouacs, and the green-coated artillery, and the
train in their sky-blue tunics hard at work all along the
quays, getting their guns and waggons on board. The
larger steamers lay two and three moored abreast along-
side the quays, and astern of each a dozen flats or barges
in two lots of six, each lashed together with a planked
gangway leading to the outer ones. More barges, and
the Rhine and other river steamers, and tugs to tow
the lighters, lay outside in midstream. How all this
had been arranged in the short time that had elapsed
is more than I can imagine. Of course, our people
had taken good care that no news should reach England
by any of the many telegraph routes ; the arrangements
for that were most elaborate. There was no appearance
of enthusiasm among the men. The gunners were too
busy, and the infantry and cavalry destined for the
expedition were not allowed to leave their bivouacs,
and did not know that they were in for a sea voyage.
The Belgian troops have all been disarmed and en-
camped on the other side of the river, between the
older fortifications known as the Tete de Flandre and
the outer lines. The populace for the most part have
a sulky appearance, but as there is a very large German
colony we found plenty of friends. The Burgomaster
himself is a Bavarian, and most of the Councillors are
also Germans, so that in the evening Prince Henry and
his staff were entertained right royally at the Hotel
de Ville. I assure you, my friend, that I did justice
to the civic hospitality. But the banquet was all too
short.

" At eight o'clock we had to be on board. The
steamer told off for us was the Dresden, which, with
many other British vessels, had been commandeered
that day. She lay alongside the pontoon, near the
Steen Museum. As soon as she cast off, a gun was

140 THE INVASION OF 1910

fired from the Citadel, followed by three rockets, which
shot up into the darkness from the Tete de Flandre.
This was the signal for the flotilla to start, and in
succession one steamer after another slid out into the
stream from the shadows of the quays, and, followed
by her train of tugs and barges, began to glide down the
Scheldt. Our arrangements had been perfected, and
everything went without a hitch.

" The Dresden went dead slow along under the
farther bank for a time, and we watched the head of
the procession of transports pass down the river. It
was an inspiring sight to see the densely-packed steamers
and barges carrying their thousands of stout German
hearts on their way to humble the pride of overbearing
and threatening Albion. It brought to mind the highly
prophetic utterance of our Emperor : ' Our Future lies
on the Water/ The whole flotilla was off Flushing
shortly before midnight, and after forming in four
parallel columns, stood away to the north-west. It was
a quiet night, not very dark, and the surface of the
water, a shining, grey sheet, was visible for a considerable
distance from the ship. The steamers carried the usual
steaming lights, and the barges and lighters white lights
at bow and stern. The scuttles were all screened, so
that no other lights might confuse those who were
responsible for the safe conduct of the armada. I had
no inclination to turn in.

" The general excitement of the occasion, the
fascination I found in watching the dim shades of the
swarm of craft on all sides, the lines of red, white, and
green lights slowly moving side by side with their
flickering reflections in the gently-heaving waters, held
me spellbound and wakeful as I leaned over the taffrail.
Most of my comrades on the staff remained on deck,
also muffled in their long cloaks, and talking for the
most part in undertones. Prince Henry paced the
bridge with the officer in command of the vessel. All
of us, I think, were impressed with the magnitude of
the venture on which our Fatherland had embarked,

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 141

GOD SAVE THE KING.

PROCLAMATION.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.

In regard to the Decree of September 3rd of the present
year, declaring a state of siege in the Counties of Norfolk
and Suffolk.

In regard to the Decree of August 10th, 1906, regulating
the public administration of all theatres of war and military
servitude ;

Upon the proposition of the Commander-in-Chief
IT IS DECREED AS FOLLOWS:

(1) There are in a state of war :

1 st. In the Eastern Command, the counties of Nor-
thamptonshire, Rutlandshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk,
Suffolk, Essex, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Hertford-
shire, and Middlesex (except that portion included in the
London Military District).

2nd. In the Northern Command, the counties of Nor-
thumberland, Durham, Cumberland, and Yorkshire, with
the southern shore of the estuary of the Humber.

(2) I, Charles Leonard Spencer Cotterell, his Majesty's
Principal Secretary of State for War, am charged with the
execution of this Decree.

War Office, Whitehall,

September the Fourth , 1910.

This proclamation was posted outside the War Office in London
at noon on Wednesday, and was read by thousands. It
was also posted upon the Town Hall of every city and
town throughout the country.

142 THE INVASION OF 1910

and although we felt that things had been so carefully
thought out and so splendidly arranged that the chances
were almost all in our favour, yet we could not but
wonder what would be the end of it all. As Von der
Bendt — whom you will doubtless remember when he
was in the 3rd Horse Grenadiers at Bromberg, and who
is also on the Prince's staff — said that night as he
walked the deck, ' Where would we be if, despite our
precautions, the English had contrived to get wind
of our intentions, and half a dozen destroyers came
tearing up out of the darkness, and in among our flotilla ?
Our own particular future would then probably lie under
the water instead of on it.' I laughed at his croakings,
but I confess I looked rather more intently at our
somewhat limited horizon.

" About two in the morning the moon rose. Her
light was but fitful and partial on account of a very
cloudy sky, but I received rather a shock when her first
rays revealed a long grey line of warships with all lights
out, and with the darker forms of their attendant
destroyers moving on their flanks, slowly crossing our
course at right angles. As it turned out, they were
only our own escorts, ordered to meet us at this point,
and to convoy us and tho other portions of the Xllth
Corps, which were coming out from Rotterdam and
other Dutch ports to join us. In a few minutes after
meeting the ironclads, a galaxy of sparkling points of
light approaching from the northward heralded their
arrival, and by three o'clock the whole fleet was steaming
due west in many parallel lines. Four battleships
moved in line ahead on each flank, the destroyers seemed
to be constantly coming and going in all directions, like
dogs shepherding a flock of sheep, and I fancy there were
several other men-o'-war ahead of us. The crossing
proved entirely uneventful. We saw nothing of the
much-to-be-dreaded British warships, nor indeed of any
ships at all, with the exception of a few fishing-boats
and the Harwich- Antwerp boat, which, ablaze with lights,
ran through the rear portion of our flotilla, luckily

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 143

without colliding with any of our flats or lighters.
What her crew and passengers must have thought of
meeting such an array of shipping in mid-Channel can
only be surmised. In any case, it was of no consequence,
for by the time they arrived in Antwerp all our cards
would be on the table.

" Towards morning I got very drowsy, and eventually
fell asleep on a bench behind the after deck-house. I
seemed hardly to have closed my eyes when Von der
Bendt woke me up to inform me that land was in sight.
It was just dawn. A wan light was creeping up out of
the east, bringing with it a cold air that made one
shiver. There was but little light in the west, but
there right ahead a long black line was just discernible
on the horizon. It was England !

" Our half of the fleet now altered course a few points
to the southward, the remainder taking a more northerly
course, and by five o'clock we were passing the Swin
Lightship, and stood in the mouth of the river Crouch,
doubtless to the amazement of a few fishermen who
gazed open-mouthed from their boats at the apparition
of our grey warships, with their bristle of guns and the
vast concourse of shipping that, followed them. By
six we were at Burnham-on-Crouch, a quaint little town,
evidently a yachting centre, for the river was absolutely
covered with craft — small cutters, yawls, and the like,
and hundreds upon hundreds of boats of all sizes.
Many large, flat-bottomed barges, with tanned sails,
lay alongside the almost continuous wooden quay
that bordered the river. The boats of the squadron
carrying a number of sailors and detachments from the
2nd Marine Battalion that formed part of the expedi-
tion had evidently preceded us, as the German ensign
was hoisted over the coastguard station, which was
occupied by our men. Several of our steam pinnaces
were busily engaged in collecting the boats and small
craft that were scattered all over the estuary, while
others were hauling and towing some of the barges
into position beside the quays to serve as landing-places.

144 THE INVASION OF 1910

The method employed was to lash one outside the
other till the uttermost one was outside the position
of low-water mark. Our lighter craft, at any rate,
could then go alongside and disembark their men and
stores at any time.

" The first men I saw land were the residue of the
Marine Battalion, who were in the next transport to us.
As soon as they were ashore, Prince Henry and his staff
followed. We landed at a little iron pier, the planking
of which was so rotten that it had given way in many
places, and as the remainder of the flooring threatened
to follow suit if one placed one's weight on it, we all
marched gingerly along the edge, clutching tight hold of
the railings. The carpenter's crew from one of the
warships was, however, already at work on its repair.
As we landed, I saw the Odin, followed by a steamer,
towing several flats containing the ist Battalion of the
177th Infantry, and a battery of artillery landing farther
up the river. She did not go far, but anchored stem
and stern. The steamer cast off her lighters close to
the southern bank, and they ran themselves ashore, some
on the river bank, and others in a little creek that here
ran into the main stream. This detachment, I was
informed, was to entrench itself in the little village of
Canewdon, supposed to have been the site of Canute's
camp, and situated on an eminence about three miles
west of us, and about a mile south of the river. As it is
the only high ground on that side the river within a
radius of several miles of Burnham, its importance to
us will be evident.

" While we were waiting for our horses to be landed,
I took a turn through the village. It consists of one
street, fairly wide in the central portion, with a curious
red tower on arches belonging to the local Rath-haus
on one side of it. At the western exit of the town is a
red-brick drill hall for the Volunteers. Our Marines
were in possession, and I noticed several of them study-
ing with much amusement a gaudily-coloured recruiting
poster on the post-office opposite, headed : ' Wanted,

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 145

recruits for His Majesty's Army.' One of their number,
who apparently understood English, was translating
the letterpress, setting forth the joys and emoluments
which awaited the difficult-to-find Englishman patriotic
enough to become a soldier. As if such a system- of
raising an army could ever produce an efficient machine !
Was it not the famous Admiral Coligny who perished
in the massacre of St. Bartholomew who said, 4 Rather
than lead again an army of voluntaries, I would die a
thousand times.'

" By this time our horses, and those of a couple of
troops of the Jaegers zu Pferde had been put on shore.
Then having seen that all the exits of the village were
occupied, the Mayor secured, and the usual notices
posted threatening death to any civilian who obstructed
our operations, directly or indirectly, we started off for
the high ground to the northward, where we hoped to
get into touch with the Division which should now
be landing at Bradwell, on the Blackwater. With us
went as escort a troop of the Jaegers in their soft grey-
green uniforms — for the descent being a surprise one
we were in our ordinary uniforms — and a number of
mounted signallers.

" The villagers were beginning to congregate as we
left Burnham. They scowled at us, but said nothing.
For the most part they appeared to be completely
dumbfounded. Such an event as a real invasion by a
real army of foreigners had never found any place in
their limited outlook on life and the world in general.
There were some good-looking girls here and there, with
fresh, apple-red cheeks, who did not look altogether
askance at our prancing horses and our gay uniforms.
It was now about half -past eight, and the morning
mists, which had been somewhat prevalent down by the
river and the low-lying land on either bank, had thinned
and drifted away under the watery beams of a feeble
sun that hardly pierced the cloudy canopy above us.
This, I suppose, is the English summer day of which we
hear so much ! It is not hot, certainly. The horses
10

146 THE INVASION OF 1910

were fresh, delighted to escape from their cramped
quarters on shipboard, and, trotting and cantering
through the many turns of the muddy lanes, we soon
skirted the village of Southminster, and began to mount
the high ground between it and a little place called
Steeple.

" Here, just north of a steading known as Batt's
Farm, is the highest point on the peninsula formed by
the Blackwater and Crouch Rivers. Though it is only
132 ft. above sea-level, the surrounding ground is so
flat that a perfect panorama was spread before us. We
could not distinguish Burnham, which was six miles
or more to the southward, and hidden by slight folds of
the ground and the many trees which topped the hedge-
rows, but the Blackwater and its creeks were in full
view, and about seven miles to the north-west the towers
and spires of Maldon, our principal objective in the first
instance, stood up like grey pencillings on the sky-line.
Our signallers soon got to work, and in a very few
minutes picked up those of the Northern Division, who
had established a station on a church tower about two
miles to our north-east, at St. Lawrence. They reported
a successful landing at Bradwell, and that the Mgir had
gone up in the direction of Maldon with the 3rd Marine
Battalion, who were being towed up in their flats by
steam pinnaces.

" I think, my dear Neuhaus, that it would be as
well if I now gave you some general idea of our scheme
of operations, so far as it is known to me, in order that
you may be the better able to follow my further ex-
periences by the aid of the one-inch English ordnance
map which you will have no difficulty in procuring from
Berlin.

" As I have already said, Maldon is our first objective.
It is situated at the head of the navigable portion of the
Blackwater, and in itself — situated as it is on rising
grounds suitable for defence, and surrounded to the
north and north-west with a network of river and
canal — offers a suitable position to check the preliminary

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 147

attack that we may surely expect from the Colchester
garrison. It is intended, then, to occupy this as quickly
as possible, and place it in a state of defence. Our next
move will be to entrench ourselves along a line extending
southward from Maldon to the river Crouch, which has
already been reconnoitred by our Intelligence Depart-
ment, and the general positions selected and planned.
Prince Henry will, of course, be able to make any
modifications in the original design that he may consider
called for by circumstances. The total length of our
front will be nearly seven miles, rather long for the
number of troops we have at our disposal, but as the
English reckon that to attack troops in position a six-
to-one force is required, and as they will be fully occupied
elsewhere, I expect we shall be amply sufficient to deal
with any attack they can make on us. The right half
of the line — with the exception of Maldon itself — is
very flat, and offers no very advantageous positions for
defence, especially as the ground slopes upwards in the
direction of the enemy's attack. It is, however, but a
gradual slope. Towards the left, though, there is higher
ground, affording fairly good gun positions, and this
we must hold on to at all hazards. This, in fact, will be
the real key of the position. Holding this, even if we
are beaten out of Maldon and forced to abandon our
defences in the flat ground to the south of the town, we
can use it as a pivot, and fall back on a second position
along a line of low hills that run in a north-east direction
across the peninsula to St. Lawrence, which will quite
well cover our landing-places. In order to further protect
us from surprise, the three battalions of the 108th Sharp-
shooter Regiment belonging to the 32nd Division left
Flushing somewhat in advance of us under convoy of
some of the older battleships in three or four average-
sized steamers that could get alongside the long pier
at Southend, and have been ordered to occupy Hockley,
Rayleigh, and Wickford, forming as it were a chain of
outposts covering us from any early interruption by
troops sent over from Chatham, or coming from London

148 THE INVASION OF 1910

by either the southern branch of the Great Eastern
Railway or the London, Tilbury, and Southend line.
They took nothing with them but their iron ration, the
ammunition in their pouches, and that usually carried

GEORGE PHILIP & SON LT.°

Position of the Saxon Corps Twenty-Four Hours after
Landing in Essex.

in the company ammunition waggons (57.6 rounds
per man). For the transport of this they were to
impress carts and horses at Southend, and to move by
a forced march to their positions. As soon as we are
able, we also shall push forward advanced troops to

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 149

South Hanningfield, East Hanningfield, Danebury, and
Wickham Bishops, covering us in a similar manner to
the west and north. Our flanks are well protected by the
two rivers, which are tidal, very wide in parts, and
difficult to cross, except at one or two places on the
Crouch, which we shall make special arrangements to
defend. Moreover — with the exception of Canewdon,
which we have already occupied — there is no elevated
ground within miles of them which would offer good
positions from which the enemy might fire into the
ground we occupy between them.

" So much for the military portion of our programme.
Now for the part allotted to the Navy. As I have told
you, we had eight warships as our convoy, not counting
destroyers, etc. These were the eight little armour-
clads of the "iEgir" class, drawing only 18 ft. of water
and carrying three 9.4 guns apiece, besides smaller ones.
The Mgir and Odin are operating in the rivers on our
flanks as far as they are able. The remaining six are
busy, three at the entrance of each river, laying down
mine-fields and other obstacles to protect us from any
inroad on the part of the British Navy, and arranging
for passing through the store-ships, which we expect
to-night or to-morrow morning from various German
and Dutch ports,with the provisions, stores, and ammuni-
tion for the use of the Northern Army Corps, when they
have penetrated sufficiently far to the south to get into
touch with us. Except by these rivers, I do not think
that the English naval commanders can get at us.

" What are known as the Dengie Flats extend for
three miles seaward, all along the coast between the
mouths of the two rivers, and broken marshy land
extends for three miles more inland. Their big ships
would have to lie at least seven or eight miles distant
from our headquarters and store dep6t, which we
intend to establish at Southminster, and even if they
were so foolish as to waste their ammunition in trying to
damage us with their big guns firing at high elevations,
they would never succeed in doing us any harm. I

150 THE INVASION OF 1910

believe that the squadron of older battleships that
escorted the id8th to Southend have orders to mine the
mouth of the Thames, cover the mine-field with their
guns as long as they can before being overpowered,
and incidentally to try and capture Shoeburyness and
destroy or bring off what guns they may find there.
But this is not really in our particular section of the
operations.

" But to return to my own experiences. I told
you that Prince Henry and his staff had arrived at
Steeple Hill, and that the signallers had got through
to the other division that had landed at Bradwell.
This was soon after nine o'clock. Not long afterwards
the advanced guard of one of the Jaeger battalions,
with their smart glazed shakoes, having the black
plumes tied back over the left ear, and looking very
workmanlike in their green red-piped tunics, came
swinging along the road between St. Lawrence and
the village of Steeple. They had some of their war-
dogs with them in leashes. They were on their way
to reinforce the 3rd Marine Battalion, which by this time
we trusted had occupied Maldon and cut off all com-
munication with the interior. They had a good nine
miles before them. The Prince looked at his watch.
' If they're there before noon it's as much as we can
expect,' he said. 6 Go and see if they are coming up
from Burnham now,' he added, turning sharply to
me. Away I went at a gallop till I struck the main
road out of Southminster. Here I just headed off
the 1st Battalion of the 101st Grenadiers. Its Colonel
informed me that the whole regiment was ashore and
that the other two battalions were following close
behind. When they left Burnham the three battalions
of the 100th Body Grenadiers had nearly completed
their disembarkation, and the horses of the Garde
Reiter Regiment and the 17th Uhlans were being
hoisted out by means of the big spritsail yards of the
barges lying alongside the quays. The landing pontoons
had been greatly augmented and improved during

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 151

the last hour or two, and the disembarkation was
proceeding more and more quickly. They had got
two of the batteries of the 1st Brigade Division landed
as well as the guns belonging to the Horse Artillery,
but they were waiting for the horses. The Prince
signalled to the officer superintending the disembarka-
tion at Burnham to send forward the cavalry and
horse artillery by batteries and squadrons as soon as
they could be mounted.

" Nothing could be done in the meantime but
trust that the marines had been successful in occupying
Maldon and in stopping any news of our presence from
leaking out to Colchester. Presently, however, the
signallers reported communication with a new signal
station established by the Jaegers zu Pferde on Kit's
Hill, an eminence about six miles to the south-west.
The officer in command of the troop reported : ' Have
cut line at Wickham Ferrers. Captured train of eight
coaches coming from Maldon, and have shunted it
on to line to Burnham.' Prince Henry signalled back :
1 Despatch train to Burnham ' ; and then also signalled
to O.C. 23 Division at Burnham : 6 Expect train of
eight coaches at once. Entrain as many infantry
as it will hold, and send them to Maldon with the utmost
despatch.'

" While these signals were passing, I was employed
in taking a careful survey with my glasses. This is
what I saw, looking from right to left. The green
and white lance pennons of a detachment of the hussars
belonging to the 32nd Division came fluttering round
the shoulder of the hill topped by the grey tower of
St. Lawrence. Immediately below us a Jaeger battalion
was winding through Steeple Village like a dark green
snake. Away to my left front the helmets of the
101st Grenadier Regiment twinkled over the black
masses of its three battalions as they wound downhill
towards the village of Latchingdon, lying in a tree-
shrouded hollow. Maldon was more distinct now,
but there was nothing to indicate the presence of our

152 THE INVASION OF 1910

men, though not so very far down the river the lofty
mast of the s£gir, with its three military tops, was
distinguishable over a line of willows. As I lowered
my field-glasses the Prince beckoned me. 'Von Pabst,'
ordered he, as I raised my hand to the salute, ' take
half a dozen troopers, ride to Maldon, and report to
me the situation there. I shall be at Latchingdon,'
added he, indicating its position on the map, ' or possibly
on the road between that and Maldon.'

" Followed by my six Jaegers in their big copper
helmets, I dashed away on my mission, and before
long was nearing my destination. Maldon perched
on its knoll, with its three church towers and gabled
houses, brought to my mind one of the old engravings
of sixteenth-century cities by Merian. Nothing indi-
cated the approach of war till we were challenged by
a sentry, who stepped from behind a house at
the entrance to a straggling street. We trotted] on
till just about to turn in the main street, when
'bang' went a straggling volley from the right.
Shot after shot replied, and this told me that our
marines had arrived. Then a score of khaki-clad
men ran across the entrance of the side street
up which we were approaching. ' The English at
last ! ' thought I. It was too late to turn back.
One or two of the enemy had caught sight
of us as they rushed by, though most of them were
too busily engaged in front to observe us. So with
a shout of ' Vorwarts ! ' I stuck in my spurs, and with
my six troopers charged into the middle of them, though
I had no idea of how many there might be up the street.
There was a tremendous clatter and banging of rifles.
I cut down one fellow who ran his bayonet into my
wallet. At the same time I heard a loud German
' Hoch ! ' from our right, and caught sight of a body
of marines coming up the street at the double. It
was all over in a moment. There were not more than
thirty ' khakis ' all told. Half a dozen lay dead or
wounded on the ground, some disappeared up side

HOW THE ENEMY DEALT THE BLOW 153

alleys, and others were made prisoners by the marines.
It appeared afterwards that on the first boat - load
landing, about an hour previously, the alarm had
reached a local Volunteer officer, who had managed
to collect some of his men and get them into uniform.
He then made the foolish attack on our troops which
had ended in so unsatisfactory a manner for him. He,
poor fellow, lay spitting blood on the kerbstone. The
colonel of marines appeared a moment later, and at
once gave orders for the Mayor of Maldon to be brought
before him."

The letter ended abruptly, the German officer's
intention being no doubt to give some further details
of the operations before despatching it to his friend
in Darmstadt. But it remained unfinished, for its
writer lay already in his grave.

CHAPTER XI

GERMANS LANDING AT HULL AND GOOLE

A special issue of the Times in the evening of 3rd
September contained the following vivid account — the
first published — of the happenings in the town of Goole,
in Yorkshire : —

" Goole, September 3.

" Shortly before five o'clock on Sunday morning
the night operator of the telephone call-office here
discovered an interruption on the trunk-line, and on
trying the telegraphs was surprised to find that there
was no communication in any direction. The railway
station, being rung up, replied that their wires were
also down.

" Almost immediately afterwards a well-known
North Sea pilot rushed into the post-office and breath-
lessly asked that he might telephone to Lloyd's. When
told that all communication was cut off he wildly
shouted that a most extraordinary sight was to be
seen in the river Ouse, up which was approaching a
continuous procession of tugs, towing flats, and barges
filled with German soldiers.

" This was proved to be an actual fact, and the
inhabitants of Goole, awakened from their Sunday
morning slumbers by the shouts of alarm in the streets,
found to their abject amazement foreign soldiers swarm-
ing everywhere. On the quay they found activity
everywhere, German being spoken on all hands. They
watched a body of cavalry consisting of the 1st West-

154

GERMANS LANDING AT HULL AND GOOLE 155

phalian Hussars and the Westphalian Cuirassiers land
with order and ease at the Victoria Pier, whence, after
being formed up on the quay, they advanced at a sharp
trot up Victoria Street, Ouse Street, and North Street
to the railway stations, where, as is generally known,
there are large sidings of the North-East Lancashire
and Yorkshire lines in direct communication both
with London and the great cities of the north. The
enemy here found great quantities of engines and
rolling stock, all of which was at once seized, together
with huge stacks of coal at the new sidings.

" Before long the first of the infantry of the 13th
Division, which was commanded by Lieutenant-General
Doppschutz, marched up to the stations. They con-
sisted of the 13th and 56th Westphalian Regiments,
and the cavalry on being relieved advanced out of the
town, crossing the Dutch River by the railway bridge,
and pushed on as far as Thorne and Hensall, near
which they at once strongly held the several important
railway junctions.

"Meanwhile cavalry of the 14th Brigade, consisting
of Westphalian Hussars and Uhlans, were rapidly
disembarking at Old Goole, and, advancing southwards
over the open country of Goole Moors and Thorne
Waste, occupied Crowle. Both cavalry brigades were
acting independently of the main body, and by their
vigorous action both south and west they were entirely
screening what was happening in the port of Goole.

" Infantry continued to pour into the town from
flats and barges, arriving in endless procession. Dopp-
schutz's Division landed at Aldan Dock, Railway Dock,
and Ship Dock ; the 14th Division at the Jetty and
Basin, also in the Barge Dock and at the mouth of
the Dutch River ; while some, following the cavalry
brigade* landed at Old Goole and Swinefleet.

" As far as can be ascertained, the whole of the
Vllth German Army Corps have landed, at any rate as
far as the men are concerned. The troops, who are
under the supreme command of General Baron von

156 THE INVASION OF 1910

Bistram, appear to consist almost entirely of West-
phalians, and include Prince Frederick of the Nether-
lands' 2nd Westphalians ; Count Bulow von Denne-
witz's 6th Westphalians; but one infantry brigade,
the 79th, consisted of men from Lorraine.

" Through the whole day the disembarkation
proceeded, the townsmen standing there helpless to
lift a finger and watching the enemy's arrival. The
Victoria Pleasure Grounds were occupied by parked
artillery, which towards afternoon began to rumble
through the streets. The German gunners, with folded
arms, sat unconcernedly upon the ammunition boxes
as the guns were drawn up to their positions. Horses
were seized wherever found, the proclamation of Von
Kronhelm was nailed upon the church doors, and the
terrified populace read the grim threat of the German
field-marshal.

" The wagons, of which there were hundreds, were
put ashore mostly at Goole, but others up the river
at Hook and Swinefleet. When the cavalry advance
was complete, as it was soon after midday, and when
reports had come in to Von Bistram that the country
was clear of the British, the German infantry advance
began. By nightfall they had pushed forward, some
by road, some by rail, and others in the numerous
motor-wagons that had accompanied the force, until
march-outposts were established south of Thorne,
Askern, and Crowle, straddling the main road to Bawtry.
These places, including Fishlake and the country between
them, were at once strongly held, while ammunition
and stores were pushed up by railway to both Thorne
and Askern.

" The independent cavalry advance continued
through Doncaster until dusk, when Rotherham was
reached, during which advance scattered bodies of
British Imperial Yeomanry were met and com-
pelled to retreat, a dozen or so lives being lost. It
appears that late in the afternoon of Sunday news
was brought into Sheffield of what was in progress,

GERMANS LANDING AT HULL AND GOOLE 157

and a squadron of Yeomanry donned their uniforms
and rode forward to reconnoitre, with the disastrous
results already mentioned.

" The sensation caused in Sheffield when it became
known that German cavalry were so close as Rotherham
was enormous, and the scenes in the streets soon ap-
proached a panic ; for it was wildly declared that that
night the enemy intended to occupy the town. The
Mayor telegraphed to the War Office appealing for
additional defen-
sive force, but no
response was re-
ceived to the tele-
gram. The small
force of military
in the town, which
consisted of the
2nd B at t alion
Yorkshire Light
Infantry, some
Royal Artillery, and
the local Volun-
teers, were soon
assembled, and
going out occupied
the strong posi-
tion above Sheffield
between Catcliffe
and Tinsley, over-
looking the valley of the Rother to the east.

" The expectation that the Germans intended an
immediate descent on Sheffield was not realised because
the German tactics were merely to reconnoitre and
report on the defences of Sheffield if any existed. This
they did by remaining to the eastward of the river
Rother, whence the high ground rising before Sheffield
could be easily observed.

" Before dusk one or two squadrons of Cuirassiers
were seen to be examining the river to find fords and

158 THE INVASION OF 1910

ascertain the capacity of the bridges, while others
appeared to be comparing the natural features of the
ground with the maps with which they all appeared to
be provided.

" As night fell, however, the cavalry retired towards
Doncaster, which town was occupied, the Angel being
the cavalry headquarters. The reason the Germans
could not advance at once upon Sheffield was that
the cavalry was not strongly enough supported by
infantry from their base, the distance from Goole
being too great to be covered in a single day. That
the arrangements for landing were in every detail
perfect could not be doubted, but owing to the narrow
channel of the Ouse time was necessary, and it is con-
sidered probable that fully three days must elapse
from Sunday before the Germans are absolutely
established.

" An attempt has been made by the Yorkshire
Light Infantry and the York and Lancaster Regiment,
with three battalions of Volunteers stationed at Ponte-
fract, to discover the enemy's strength and position
between Askern and Snaith, but so far without avail,
the cavalry screen across the whole country being
impenetrable.

" The people of the West Riding, and especially
the inhabitants of Sheffield, are stupefied that they
have received no assistance — not even a reply to
the Mayor's telegram. This fact has leaked out,
and has caused the greatest dissatisfaction. An
enemy is upon us, yet we are in ignorance of what
steps, if any, the authorities are taking for our
protection.

" There are wild rumours here that the enemy
have burned Grimsby, but these are generally dis-
credited, for telegraphic and telephonic communication
has been cut off, and at present we are completely
isolated. It has been gathered from the invaders
that the Vlllth Army Corps of the Germans have
landed and seized Hull, but at present this is not con-

GERMANS LANDING AT HULL AND GOOLE 159

firmed. There is, alas ! no communication with the
place, therefore the report may possibly be true.

" Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Wakefield, and Selby
are all intensely excited over the sudden appearance
of German soldiers, and were at first inclined to unite
to stem their progress. But the German proclamation
showing the individual peril of any citizen taking arms
against the invaders having been posted everywhere,
has held everyone scared and in silent inactivity.

" ' Where is our Army ? ' everyone is asking.
The whole country has run riot in a single hour, now
that the Germans are upon us. On every hand it is
asked : ' What will London do ? ' "

The following account, written by a reporter of the
Hull Daily Mail, appeared in the London Evening News on
Wednesday evening, and was the first authentic news
of what had happened on the Humber on Sunday : —

" Hull, Monday Night.

" A great disaster has occurred here, and the town is
in the hands of the Germans. The totally unexpected
appearance in the river at dawn on Sunday of an
extraordinary flotilla of all kinds of craft, filled with
troops and being towed towards Goole, created the
greatest alarm. Loud shouting in the street just before
five o'clock awakened me, and I opened my window.
Shouting to a seaman running past, I asked what was
the matter, when the man's astounding reply was :
' The whole river is swarming with Germans ! '
Dressing hastily, I mounted my bicycle and ran along
the Beverley road through Prospect Street to the dock
office, where around the Wilberforce monument the
excited crowd now already collected was impassable,
and I was compelled to dismount.

"On eager inquiry I learnt that half an hour before
men at work in the Alexandra Dock were amazed to
discern through the grey mists still hanging across the
Humber an extraordinary sight. Scores of ocean-going

i6o THE INVASION OF 1910

tugs, each laboriously towing great Dutch barges and
lighters, came into sight, and telescopes being quickly
borrowed revealed every boat in question to be literally
crammed with grey-coated men, evidently soldiers. At
first it was believed that they were about to enter Hull,
but they kept out in the channel, on the New Holland
side, and were accompanied, it was seen, by a quantity
of tramp steamers of small tonnage, evidently of such
capacity as might get up to the port of Goole. It was
at once patent that Goole was their objective.

"The alarm was at once raised in the town. The
police ran down to the quays and the Victoria Pier,
while the townspeople hastily dressed and joined them
to witness the amazing spectacle.

"Somebody at the pier who had a powerful glass
recognised the grey uniforms and declared them to be
Germans, and then like wildfire the alarming news
spread into every quarter of the town that the Germans
were upon us.

"The police ran to the telegraph office in order to
give the alarm, but it was at once discovered that both
telegraph and telephone systems had suddenly been
interrupted. Repeated calls elicited no reply, for the
wires running out of Hull in every direction had been cut.

"In endless procession the strange medley of queer-
looking craft came up out of the morning mist only to
be quickly lost again in the westward, while the onlookers,
including myself — for I had cycled to the Victoria Pier —
gazed at them in utter bewilderment.

"At the first moment of alarm the East Yorkshire
Volunteers hurried on their uniforms and assembled
at their regimental headquarters for orders. There
were, of course, no regular troops in the town, but the
Volunteers soon obtained their arms and ammunition,
and after being formed, marched down Heddon road
to the Alexandra Dock.

"On every side was the greatest commotion, already
bordering upon panic. Along Spring Bank, the Hessle
road, the Anlaby road, and all the thoroughfares

GERMANS LANDING AT HULL AND GOOLE 161

converging into Queen Victoria Square, came crowds of
all classes eager to see for themselves and learn the truth
of the startling rumour. The whole riverside was soon
black with the excited populace, but to the astonishment
of everyone the motley craft sailed on, taking no notice
of us and becoming fewer and fewer, until ships appeared
through the grey bank of fog only at intervals.

" One thing was entirely clear. The enemy, whoever
they might be, had destroyed all our means of appealing
for help, for we could not telephone to the military at
York, Pontefract, Richmond, or even to the regimental
district headquarters at Beverley. They had gone on
to Goole, but would they turn back and attack us ?

" The cry was that if they meant to seize Goole they
would also seize Hull ! Then the terrified crowd
commenced to collect timber and iron from the yards,
furniture from neighbouring houses, tramway-cars,
omnibuses, cabs ; in fact, anything they could lay their
hands upon to form barricades in the streets for their
own protection.

" I witnessed the frantic efforts of the people as they
built one huge obstacle at the corner of Queen Street,
facing the pier. Houses were ruthlessly entered, great
pieces of heavy furniture — wardrobes, pianos, and side-
boards— were piled anyhow upon each other. Men got
coils of barbed wire, and lashed the various objects
together with seamanlike alacrity. Even paving-stones
were prised up with pickaxes and crowbars, and placed
in position. The women, in deadly terror of the Germans,
helped the men in this hastily improvised barrier, which
even as I watched grew higher across the street until it
reached the height of the first-storey windows in one
great heterogeneous mass of every article conceivable —
almost like a huge rubbish heap.

' ' This was only one of many similar barricades . There
were others in the narrow Pier Street, in Wellington
Street, Castle Street, south of Prince's Dock, in St.
John's Street, between Queen's Dock and Prince's
Dock, while the bridges over the river Hull were all
n

l62

THE INVASION OF 1910

defended by hastily improvised obstructions. In
Jennings Street, on Sculcoates Bridge, and also the
two railway bridges of the Hull and Barnsley and North-
Eastern Railways were similarly treated. Thus the
whole of the town west of the river Hull was at any
rate temporarily protected from any landing eastward.

" The whole town now seemed in a perfect ferment.
Wildest rumours were afloat everywhere, and the streets
by six o'clock that morning were so crowded that it was
almost impossible to move.

" Hundreds found themselves outside the barriers ;
indeed, the people in the Southcoates, Drypool, and
Alexandra Wards were in the threatened zone, and
promptly began to force their way into the town by
escalading the huge barricades and scrambling over
their crests.

" Foreigners — sailors and others — had a rough time
of it, many of them being thrust back and threatened
by the indignant townspeople. Each time a foreigner
was discovered there was a cry of ' spy,' and many
innocent men had fortunate escapes.

" The river seemed clear, when about seven o'clock
there suddenly loomed up from seaward a great, ugly,
grey-hulled warship flying the German flag. The fear
was realised. Her sight caused absolute panic, for
with a sudden swerve she calmly moored opposite the
Alexandra Dock.

" Eager-eyed seamen, some of them Naval Reservists,
recognised that she was cleared for action, and even
while we were looking, two more similar vessels anchored
in positions from which their guns could completely
dominate the town.

" No sooner had these swung to their anchors than,
from the now sunlit horizon, there rose the distant smoke
of many steamers, and as the moments of terror dragged
by, there came slowly into the offing a perfect fleet of all
sizes of steamers, escorted by cruisers and destroyers.

"Standing behind the barricade in Queen Street I
could overlook the Victoria Pier, and the next half-hour

GERMANS LANDING AT HULL AND GOOLE 163

was the most exciting one in my whole life. Three
dirty-looking steamers of, as far as I could judge, about
2500 tons each, anchored in a line almost midstream.
From my coign of vantage I could hear the rattle of the
cables in the hawse-pipes as many other vessels of about
the same size followed their example farther down the
river. No sooner had the anchors touched the bottom
than boats were hoisted out, lowered from all the davits,
and brought alongside, while into them poured hundreds
upon hundreds of soldiers, all in a uniform dusky grey.
Steam pinnaces quickly took these in charge, towing
some of them to the Victoria Pier near where I stood,
and others to the various wharves.

"Armed and accoutred, the men sprang ashore,
formed up, and were quickly told off by their officers in
guttural accents, when, from our barricade, close beside
me, a Volunteer officer gave the order to fire, and a
ragged volley rang sharply out.

" A young German infantry officer standing in Nelson
Street, in the act of drawing his revolver from its pouch,
pitched heavily forward upon his face with a British
bullet through his heart. There were also several gaps
in the German ranks. Almost instantly the order for
advance was given. The defence was an ill-advised
and injudicious one, having in view the swarm of in-
vaders. Hundreds of boats were now approaching
every possible landing-place right along the river front,
and men were swarming upon every wharf and quay.

" Shots sounded in every direction. Then, quite
suddenly, some unintelligible order was given in German,
and the crowd of the enemy who had landed at our pier
extended, and, advancing at the double, came straight
for our barricade, endeavouring to take it by assault.
It was an exciting moment. Our Volunteers poured
volleys into them, and for a time were able to check
them, although the Germans kept up a withering fire,
and I found myself, a non-combatant, with bullets
whistling about me everywhere, in unpleasant proximity.

"They were breathless moments. Men were con-

164 THE INVASION OF 1 9 1 0

tinually falling on both sides, and one fierce-faced,
black-haired woman, evidently a sailor's wife, who had
helped to build the barricade, fell dead at my side,
shot through the throat. From the very beginning our
defence at this point seemed utterly hopeless. The
Volunteers — many of them friends of mine — very
gallantly endeavoured to do what they could in the
circumstances, but they themselves recognised the utter
futility of fighting against what seemed to be a veritable
army. They did their utmost, but the sudden rush of
an enormous number of supports to strengthen the
enemy's advanced parties proved too much for them,
and ten minutes later bearded Teutons came clambering
over the barricades, ruthlessly putting to death all men
in uniform who did not at once throw down their arms.

"As soon as I saw the great peril of the situation I
confess that I fled, when behind me I heard a loud crash
as a breach was at last made in the obstruction. I ran
up Queen Street to Drypool Bridge, where at the barri-
cade there I found desperate fighting in progress. The
scene was terrible. The few Volunteers were bravely
trying to defend us. Many civilians, in their frantic
efforts to guard their homes, were lying upon the pave-
ment dead and dying. Women, too, had been struck
by the hail of German bullets, and the enemy, bent upon
taking the town, fought with the utmost determination.
From the ceaseless rattle of musketry which stunned
the ears on every side it was evident that the town was
being taken by assault.

For five minutes or so I remained in Salthouse Lane,
but so thick came the bullets that I managed to slip
round to Whitefriargate, and into Victoria Square.

" I was standing at the corner of King Edward Street
when the air was of a sudden rent by a crash that seemed
to shake the town to its very foundations, and one of
the black cupolas of the dock office was carried away,
evidently by a high explosive shell.

" A second report, no doubt from one of the cruisers
lying in the river, was followed by a great jet of flame

GERMANS LANDING AT HULL AND GOOLE 165

springing up from the base of one of the new shops on
the left side of King Edward Street — caused, as I after-
wards ascertained, by one of those new petrol shells, of
which we had heard so much in the newspapers, but the
practicability of which our unprogressive Government
had so frequently refused to entertain.

"In a flash three shops were well alight, and even
while I watched the whole block from Tyler's to the
corner was furiously ablaze, the petrol spreading fire
and destruction on every hand.

"Surely there is no more deadly engine in modern
warfare than the terrible petrol bomb, as was now
proved upon our unfortunate town. Within ten
minutes came a veritable rain of fire. In all directions
the houses began to flare and burn. The explosions
were terrific, rapidly succeeding one another, while
helpless men stood frightened and aghast, no man
knowing that the next moment might not be his
last. I

" In those never-to-be-forgotten moments we realised
for the first time what the awful horror of War really
meant.

" The scene was frightful. Hull had resisted, and in
retaliation the enemy were now spreading death and
destruction everywhere among us."

Reports now reached London that the Vllth German
Army Corps had landed at Hull and Goole, and taking
possession of those towns, were moving upon Sheffield
in order to paralyse our trade in the Midlands. Hull
had been bombarded, and was in flames! Terrible
scenes were taking place at that port.

The disaster was, alas ! of our own seeking.

Lord Roberts, who certainly could not be called an
alarmist, had in 1905 resigned his place on the Committee
of National Defence in order to be free to speak his own
mind. He had told us plainly in 1906 that we were in
no better position than we were five or six years previous.

166 THE INVASION OF 1910

Behind the Regular Army we had no practicable reserve,
while military training was more honoured in the breach
than in the observance. The outlook was alarming, and
the reasons for reform absolutely imperative.

He had pointed out to the London Chamber of
Commerce in December 1905 that it was most import-
ant that our present unpreparedness for war should not
be allowed to continue. We should use every endeavour
to prevent the feeling of anxiety as to our unprepared-
ness from cooling down. England's military hero, the
man who had dragged us out of the South African
muddle, had urged most strongly that a committee of
the leading men of London should be formed to take
the matter into their earnest consideration. The voice
of London upon a question of such vital importance
could not fail to carry great weight throughout the
country.

A " citizen army," he had declared, was needed as
well as the Regular Army. The only way by which a
sufficient amount of training could be given — short of
adopting the Continental practice — was by giving boys
and youths such an amount of drill and practice in rifle
shooting as was possible while they were at school, and
by some system of universal training after they reached
manhood. And that Lord Roberts had urged most
strongly.

Yet what had been done ? Ay, what ?

A deaf ear had been turned to every appeal. And
now, alas ! the long prophesied blow had fallen.

On that memorable Sunday, when a descent had been
made upon our shores, there were in German ports on
the North Sea nearly a million tons gross of German
shipping. Normally, in peace time, half a million tons
is always to be found there, the second half having been
quietly collected by ships putting in unobserved into
such ports as Emden, Bremen, Bremerhaven, and
Geestemunde, where there are at least ten miles of deep-
sea wharves, with ample railway access. The arrival of
these crafts caused no particular comment, but they had

GERMANS LANDING AT HULL AND GOOLE 167

already been secretly prepared for the transport of men
and horses while at sea.

Under the cover of the Frisian Islands, from every
canal, river, and creek had been assembled a huge
multitude of flats and barges, ready to be towed by
tugs alongside the wharves and filled with troops.
Of a sudden, in a single hour it seemed, Hamburg,
Altona, Cuxhaven, and Wilhelmshaven were in excited
activity, and almost before the inhabitants themselves

realised what was really in progress the embarkation
had well commenced.

At Emden, with its direct cables to the theatre
of war in England, was concentrated the brain of the
whole movement. Beneath the lee of the covering
screen of Frisian Islands, Borkum, Juist, Norderney,
Langebog, and the others, the preparations for the
descent upon England rapidly matured.

Troop-trains from every part of the Fatherland

168 THE INVASION OF 1910

arrived with the punctuality of clockwork. From Diis-
seldorf came the Vllth Army Corps, the VHIth from
Coblenz, the IXth were already assembled at their head-
quarters at Altona, while many of them being stationed
at Bremen embarked from there, the Xth came up from
Hanover, the XlVth from Magdeburg, and the Corps of
German Guards, the pride and flower of the Kaiser's
troops, arrived eagerly at Hamburg from Berlin and
Potsdam, among the first to embark.

Each army corps consisted of about 38,000 officers
and men, 11,000 horses, 144 guns, and about 2000
motor-cars, wagons, and carts. But for this campaign
— which was more of the nature of a raid than of any
protracted campaign — the supply of wheeled transport,
with the exception of motor-cars, had been somewhat
reduced.

Each cavalry brigade attached to an army corps
consisted of 1400 horses and men, with some thirty-
five light machine-guns and wagons. The German
calculation — which proved pretty correct — was that
each army corps could come over to England in 100,000
tons gross of shipping, bringing with them supplies
for twenty-seven days in another 3000 tons gross.
Therefore about 618,000 tons gross conveyed the whole
of the six corps, leaving an ample margin still in German
ports for any emergencies. Half this tonnage consisted
of about 100 steamers, averaging 3000 tons each, the
remainder being the boats, flats, lighters, barges, and
tugs previously alluded to.

The Saxons who, disregarding the neutrality of
Belgium, had embarked at Antwerp, had seized the whole
of the flat-bottomed craft in the Scheldt and the numerous
canals, as well as the merchant ships in the port, rinding
no difficulty in commandeering the amount of tonnage
necessary to convey them to the Blackwater and the
Crouch.

As hour succeeded hour, the panic increased.
It was now also known that, in addition to the various •
corps who had effected a landing, the German Guards

GERMANS LANDING AT HULL AND GOOLE 169

had, by a sudden swoop into the Wash, got ashore at
King's Lynn, seized the town, and united their forces
with Von Kleppen's corps, who, having landed at Wey-
bourne, were now spread right across Norfolk. This
picked corps of Guards was under the command of that
distinguished officer the Duke of Mannheim, while the
infantry divisions were under Lieutenant-Generals von
Castein and Von Der Decken.

The landing at King's Lynn on Sunday morning
had been quite a simple affair. There was nothing
whatever to repel them, and they disembarked on the
quays and in the docks, watched by the astonished
populace. All provisions were seized at shops, including
the King's Lynn and County Stores, the Star Supply
Stores, Ladyman's and Lipton's in the High Street,
while headquarters were established at the municipal
buildings, and the German flag hoisted upon the old
church, the tower of which was at once used as a signal
station.

Old-fashioned people of Lynn peered out of their
quiet, respectable nouses in King Street in utter amaze-
ment, but soon, when the German proclamation was
posted, the terrible truth was plain.

In half an hour, even before they could realise it,
they had been transferred from the protection of the
British flag to the militarism of the German.

The Tuesday Market Place, opposite the Globe
Hotel, was one of the points of assembly, and from there
and from other open spaces troops of cavalry were
constantly riding out of town by the Downham Market
and S waff ham Roads. The intention of this commander
was evidently to join hands with Von Kleppen as soon
as possible. Indeed, by that same evening the Guards
and IVth Corps had actually shaken hands at East
Dereham.

A few cavalry, mostly Cuirassiers and troopers of
the Gardes du Corps, were pushed out across the flat,
desolate country over Sutton Bridge to Holbeach and
Spalding, while others, moving south-easterly, came

170 THE INVASION OF 1910

past the old Abbey of Crowland, and even to within
sight of the square cathedral tower of Peterborough.
Others went south to Ely.

Ere sundown on Sunday, stalwart, grey-coated
sentries of the Guards Fusiliers from Potsdam and the
Grenadiers from Berlin were holding the roads at Gayton,
East Walton, Narborough, Markham, Fincham, Strad-
sett, and Stow Bardolph. Therefore on Sunday night,
from Spalding on the east, Peterborough, Chatteris,
Littleport, Thetford, Diss, and Halesworth were faced
by a huge cavalry screen protecting the landing and
repose of the great German Army behind it.

Slowly but carefully the enemy were maturing
their plans for the defeat of our defenders and the sack
of London.

CHAPTER XII

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX

London was at a standstill. Trade was entirely
stopped. Shopkeepers feared to open their doors on
account of the fierce, hungry mobs parading the streets.
Orators were haranguing the crowds in almost every
open space. The police were either powerless, or feared
to come into collision with the assembled populace.
Terror and blank despair were everywhere.

There was unrest night and day. The banks,
head offices and branches, unable to withstand the
run upon them when everyone demanded to be paid
in gold, had, by mutual arrangement, shut their doors,
leaving excited and furious crowds of customers outside
unpaid. Financial ruin stared everyone in the face.
Those who were fortunate enough to realise their
securities on Monday were fleeing from London south
or westward. Day and night the most extraordinary
scenes of frantic fear were witnessed at Paddington,
Victoria, Waterloo, and London Bridge. The southern
railways were badly disorganised by the cutting of
the lines by the enemy, but the Great Western system
was, up to the present, intact, and carried thousands
upon thousands to Wales, to Devonshire, and to
Cornwall.

In those three hot, breathless days the Red Hand
of Ruin spread out upon London.

The starving East met the terrified West, but in
those moments the bonds of terror united class with
mass. Restaurants and theatres were closed, there was

172

THE INVASION OF 1910

but little vehicular traffic in the streets, for of horses
there were none, while the majority of the motor 'buses
had been requisitioned, and the transit of goods had
been abandoned. " The City," that great army of
daily workers, both male and female, was out of employ-
ment, and swelled the idlers and gossips, whose temper
and opinion were swayed each half-hour by the papers
now constantly appearing night and day without
cessation.

Cabinet Councils had been held every day, but
their decisions, of course, never leaked out to the public.
The King also held Privy Councils, and various measures
were decided upon. Parliament, which had been
hurriedly summoned, was due to meet, and everyone
speculated as to the political crisis that must now
ensue.

In St. James's Park, in Hyde Park, in Victoria Park,
on Hampstead Heath, in Greenwich Park, in fact, in
each of the " lungs of London," great mass meetings
were held, at which resolutions were passed condemning
the Administration and eulogising those who, at the
first alarm, had so gallantly died in defence of their
country.

It was declared that by the culpable negligence
of the War Office and the National Defence Committee
we had laid ourselves open to complete ruin, both
financially and as a nation.

The man-in-the-street already felt the strain, for
the lack of employment and the sudden rise in the
price of everything had brought him up short. Wives
and families were crying for food, and those without
savings and with only a few pounds put by looked
grimly into the future and at the mystery it presented.

Most of the papers published the continuation
of the important story of Mr. Alexander, the Mayor
of Maldon, which revealed the extent of the enemy's
operations in Essex and the strong position they occupied.

It ran as below : —

" Of the events of the early hours of the morning

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 173

I have no very clear recollection. I was bewildered,
staggered, dumbfounded by the sights and sounds
which beset me. Of what modern war meant I had till
then truly but a very faint idea. To witness its horrid
realities enacted in this quiet, out-of-the-way spot where
I had pitched my tent for so many years, brought them
home to me literally, as well as metaphorically. And
to think that all this wanton destruction of property
and loss of life was directly due to our apathy as a
nation ! The Germans had been the aggressors without
a doubt, but as for us we had gone out of our way to
invite attack. We had piled up riches and made no
provision to prevent a stronger nation from gathering
them. We had seen every other European nation,
and even far-distant Japan, arm their whole populations
and perfect their preparedness for the eventualities
of war, but we had been content to scrape along with
an apology for a military system — which was really
no system at all — comforting ourselves with the excuse
that nothing could possibly evade or compete with our
magnificent navy. Such things as fogs, false intelli-
gence, and the interruption of telegraphic and tele-
phonic communication were not taken into account,
and were pooh-poohed if any person, not content
with living in a fool's paradise, ventured to draw atten-
tion to the possibility of such contingencies.

" So foolhardy had we become in the end, that we
were content to see an immense and threatening increase
in the German shipbuilding programme without im-
mediately * going one better/ The specious plea
that our greater rapidity in construction would always
enable us to catch up our rivals in the race was received
with acclamation, especially as the argument was
adorned with gilt lettering in the shape of promised
Admiralty economies.

" As might have been foreseen, Germany attacked
us at the psychological moment when her rapidly
increasing fleet had driven even our laissez faire
politicians to lay down new ships with the laudable

174 THE INVASION OF 1910

idea of keeping our naval pre-eminence by the rapidity
of our construction. Our wide-awake enemy, seeing
that should these be allowed to attain completion the
place he had gained in the race would be lost, allowed
them to be half finished and then suddenly attacked
us.

" But to return to my personal experiences on
this never-to-be-forgotten day. I had run down Crom-
well Hill, and seeing the flames of Heybridge, was
impelled to get nearer, if possible, to discover more
particularly the state of affairs in that direction. But
I was reckoning without the Germans. When I got
to the bridge over the river at the foot of the hill, the
officer in charge there absolutely prevented my crossing.
Beyond the soldiers standing or kneeling behind what-
ever cover was offered by the walls and buildings abutting
on the riverside, and a couple of machine guns placed
so as to command the bridge and the road beyond,
there was nothing much to see. A number of Germans
were, however, very busy in the big mill just across
the river, but what they were doing I could not make
out. As I turned to retrace my steps, the glare of
the conflagration grew suddenly more and more intense.
A mass of dark figures came running down the brightly-
illuminated road towards the bridge, while the rifle
fire became louder, nearer, and heavier than ever.
Every now and again the air became alive with, as it
were, the hiss and buzz of flying insects. The English
must have fought their way through Heybridge, and
these must be the bullets from their rifles. It was
dangerous to stay down there any longer, so I took
to my heels. As I ran I heard a thundering explosion
behind me, the shock of which nearly threw me to the
ground. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that the
Germans had blown up the mill at the farther end
of the bridge, and were now pushing carts from either
side in order to barricade it. The two Maxims, too,
began to pump lead with their hammering reports,
and the men near them commenced to fall in twos

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 175

and threes. I made off to the left, and passed into
the High Street by the end of St. Peter's Church, now
disused. At the corner I ran against Mr. Clydesdale,
the optician, who looks after the library which now
occupies the old building. He pointed to the tower,
which stood darkly up against the blood-red sky.

" ' Look: at those infernal Germans ! ' he said. ' They
can't even keep out of that old place. I wish we could
have got the books out before they came.'

" I could not see any of our invaders where he was
pointing, but presently I became aware of a little winking,
blinking light at the very summit of the tower.

" 6 That's them,' said Clydesdale. ' They're making
signals, I think. My boy says he saw the same thing on
Purleigh Church tower last night. I wish it would come
down with them, that I do. It's pretty shaky, anyway.'

" The street was fairly full of people. The Germans,
it is true, had ordered that no one should be out of doors
between eight in the evening and six in the morning ;
but just now they appeared to have their hands pretty
full elsewhere, and if any of the few soldiers that were
about knew of or thought anything of the interdiction,
they said nothing. Wat Miller, the postman, came up
and touched his cap.

" ' Terrible times, sir,' he said, ' ain't they ? There
was a mort of people killed this afternoon by them shells.
There was poor old Missis Reece in the London Road.
Bed-ridden, she were, this dozen years. Well, sir, there
ain't so much as the head on her left. A fair mash up
she were, poor old lady ! Then there was Jones the
carpenter's three kids, as was left behind when their
mother took the baby to Mundon with the rest of the
women. The house was struck and come down atop of
'em. They got two out, but they were dead, poor souls !
and they're still looking for the other one.'

" The crash of a salvo of heavy guns from the direction
of my own house interrupted the tale of horrors.
" ' That'll be the guns in my garden,' I said.
" 4 Yes, sir ; and they've got three monstrous great

176 THE INVASION OF 1910

ones in the opening between the houses just behind the
church there,' said Clydesdale.

" As he spoke the guns in question bellowed out, one
after the other.

" 6 Look — look at the tower ! ' cried the postman.

" The light at the top had disappeared, and the lofty
edifice was swaying slowly, slowly, over to the left.

" ' She's gone at last ! ' exclaimed Clydesdale.

" It was true. Down came the old steeple that had
pointed heavenward for so many generations, with a
mighty crash and concussion that swallowed up even
the noise of the battle, though cannon of all sorts and
sizes were now joining in the hellish concert, and shell
from the English batteries began to roar over the town.
The vibration and shock of the heavy guns had been too
much for the old tower, which, for years in a tottery
condition, had been patched up so often.

" As soon as the cloud of dust cleared off we all three
ran towards the huge pile of debris that filled the little
churchyard. Several other people followed. It was
very dark down there, in the shadow of the trees and
houses, despite the firelight overhead, and we began
striking matches as we looked about among the heaps
of bricks and beams to see if there were any of the German
signal party among them. Why we should have taken
the trouble under the circumstances I do not quite know.
It was an instinctive movement of humanity on my
part, and that of most of the others, I suppose. Miller,
the postman, was, however, logical. 6 1 'opes as they're
all dead ! ' was what he said.

" I caught sight of an arm in a light blue sleeve pro-
truding from the debris, and took hold of it in a futile
attempt to remove some of the bricks and rubbish which
I thought were covering the body of its owner. To my
horror, it came away in my hand. The body to which
it belonged might be buried yards away in the immense
heap of ruins. I dropped it with a cry, and fled from
the spot. ' . ' ' '

" Dawn was now breaking. I do not exactly re-

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 177

member where I wandered to after the fall of St. Peter's
Tower, but it must have been between half-past five and
six when I found myself on the high ground at the north-
western corner of the town, overlooking the golf links,
where I had spent so many pleasant hours in that recent
past that now seemed so far away. All around me
were batteries, trenches, and gun-pits. But though the
firing was still going on somewhere away to the right,
where Heybridge poured black smoke skyward like a
volcano, gun and howitzer were silent, and their attendant
artillerymen, instead of being in cover behind their
earthen parapets, were clustered on the top watching
intently something that was passing in the valley below
them. So absorbed were they that I was able to creep up
behind them, and also get a sight of what was taking
place. And this is what I saw : —

" Over the railway bridge which spanned the river a
little to the left were hurrying battalion after battalion
of green and blue clad German infantry. They moved
down the embankment after crossing, and continued
their march behind it. Where the railway curved to
the right and left, about half a mile beyond the bridge,
the top of the embankment was lined with dark figures
lying down and apparently firing, while over the golf
course from the direction of Beeleigh trotted squadron
after squadron of sky-blue riders, their green and white
lance pennons fluttering in the breeze. They crossed
the Blackwater and Chelmer Canal, and cantered off in
the direction of Langford Rectory.

" At the same time I saw line after line of the Germans
massed behind the embankment spring over it and
advance rapidly towards the lower portion of the town,
just across the river. Hundreds fell under the fire from
the houses, which must have been full of Englishmen,
but one line after another reached the buildings. The
firing was now heavier than ever — absolutely incessant
and* continuous — though, except for an occasional
discharge from beyond Heybridge, the artillery was
silent.

178 THE INVASION OF 1910

" I have but little knowledge of military matters,
but it was abundantly evident, even to me, that what
I had just seen was a very formidable counter-attack on
the part of the Germans, who had brought up fresh
troops either from the rear of the town or from farther
inland, and launched them against the English under
cover of the railway embankment. I was not able to
see the end of the encounter, but bad news flies apace,
and it soon became common knowledge in the town that
our troops from Colchester had not only failed to cross
the river at any point, but had been driven helter-
skelter out of the lower town near the station and from
the smoking ruins of Heybridge with great loss, and
were now in full retreat.

" Indeed, some hundreds of our khaki-clad fellow-
countrymen were marched through the town an hour
or two later as prisoners, to say nothing of the numbers
of wounded who, together with those belonging to the
Germans, soon began to crowd every available building
suitable for use as an hospital. The wounded prisoners
with their escort went off towards Mundon, and are
reported to have gone in the direction of Steeple. It
was altogether a disastrous day, and our hopes, which
had begun to rise when the British had penetrated into
the northern part of the town, now fell below zero.

" It was a black day for us, and for England. During
the morning the same officer who had captured me on
the golf course came whirling into Maldon on a 24-h.p.
Mercedes car. He drove straight up to my house,
and informed me that he had orders to conduct me to
Prince Henry, who was to be at Purleigh early in the
afternoon.

" ' Was it in connection with the skirmish with the
Volunteers ? ' I asked.

" ' I don't know,' was the reply. ' But I don't
fancy so. In the meantime, could I write here for an
hour or two ? ' he asked politely. ' I have much to
write to my friends in Germany, and have not had a
minute up to now.'

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 179

" I was very glad to be able to oblige the young man
in such a small way, and left him in my study till midday,
very busy with pens, ink, and paper.

" After a makeshift of a lunch, the car came round,
and we got into the back seat. In front sat his orderly
and the chauffeur, a fierce-looking personage in a semi-
military uniform. We ran swiftly down the High
Street, and in a few minutes were spinning along the
Purleigh Road, where I saw much that amazed me. I
then for the first time realised how absolutely complete
were the German plans."

"Tuesday, September 4.

" About six o'clock this morning I awoke rather
suddenly. The wind had gone round to the northward,
and I was certain that heavy firing was going on some-
where in that direction. I opened the window and
looked out. The 'thud' and rumble of a cannonade,
with the accompaniment of an occasional burst of
musketry, came clearly and loudly on the wind from the
hills by Wickham Bishops village. The church spire
was in plain view, and little faint puffs and rings of
grey smoke were just visible in its vicinity every now
and again, sometimes high up in the air, at others among
the trees at its base. They were exploding shells ; I had
no doubt of that. What was going on it was impossible
to say, but I conjectured that some of our troops from
Colchester had come into collision with the Germans,
who had gone out in that direction the day of their
arrival. The firing continued for about an hour, and
then died away.

" Soon after eight Count von Ohrendorff, the
general officer commanding the 32nd Division, who
appeared to be the supreme authority here, sent for me,
and suggested that I should take steps to arrange for the
manufacture of lint and bandages by the ladies living
in the town. I could see no reason for objecting to this,
and so promised to carry out his suggestion. I set
about the matter at once, and, with the assistance of

i8o THE INVASION OF 1910

my wife, soon had a couple of score of more or less willing
workers busily engaged in the National Schoolroom.
In the meantime, the roll of a terrible cannonade had
burst forth again from Wickham Bishops. It seemed
louder and more insistent than ever. As soon as I got
away from the schools I hurried home and climbed out on
the roof. The top of the Moot Hall, the tower of St.
Peter's, and other better coigns of vantage had all
been occupied by the Germans. However, with the
aid of a pair of field-glasses I was able to see a good bit.
Black smoke was now pouring from Wickham Bishops
in clouds, and every now and again I fancied I could see
the forked tongues of flame shooting up above the
surrounding trees. A series of scattered black dots
now came out on the open ground to the south of the
church. The trees of Eastland Wood soon hid them
from my sight, but others followed, mingled with little
moving black blocks, which I took to be formed bodies
of troops. After them came four or five guns, driven
at breakneck pace towards the road that passes between
Eastland and Captain's Woods, then more black dots,
also in a desperate hurry. Several of these last tumbled,
and lay still here and there all over the slope.

" Other dots followed at their heels. They were
not quite so distinct. I looked harder. Hurrah !
They were men in khaki. We were hustling these
Germans at last. They also disappeared behind the
woods. Then from the fringe of trees about Wickham
half a dozen big brilliant flashes, followed after an
interval by the loud detonation of heavy cannon. I
could not distinguish much more, though the rattle of
battle went on for some time longer. Soon after eleven
four German guns galloped in from Hey bridge. These
were followed by a procession of maimed and limping
humanity. Some managed to get along unaided,
though with considerable difficulty. Others were sup-
ported by a comrade, some carried between two men,
and others borne along on stretchers. A couple of
ambulance carts trotted out and picked up more

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 181

wounded. Our bandages and lint had not long to wait
before being required. After this there was a cessation
of firing.

" About one o'clock the German general sent word
to me that he thought an attack quite possible during
the afternoon, and that he strongly advised me to get
all the women and children out of the town — for the
time being, at any rate. This was evidently well meant,
but it was a pretty difficult matter to arrange for, to say
nothing of raising a panic among the inhabitants.
However, in an hour and a half's time I had contrived
to marshal several hundred of them together, and to
get them out on to the road to Mundon. The weather
was warm for the time of year, and I thought, if the
worst came to the worst, they could spend the night in
the old church. I left the sad little column of exiles —
old, bent women helped along by their daughters, tiny
children dragged along through the dust, clutching their
mothers' skirts, infants in arms, and other older and
sturdier children staggering beneath the weight of the
most precious home adornments — and made the best of
my way back to arrange for the forwarding to them of
their rations.

" At every step on my homeward way I expected
to hear the cannonade begin again. But beyond the
twittering of the birds in the trees and hedgerows, the
creak and rumble of a passing cart, and the rush of a
train along the railway on my left — just the usual
sounds of the countryside — nothing broke the stillness.
As I stepped out on the familiar highway I could almost
bring myself to believe that the events of the past
twenty-four hours were but the phantasmagoria of a
dream. After interviewing some of the town coun-
cillors who were going to undertake the transport of
provisions to the women and children at Mundon, I
walked round to my own house.

" My wife and family had driven over to Purleigh
on the first alarm, and had arranged to stay the night
with some friends, on whatever shakedowns could be

i'82 THE INVASION OF 1910

improvised, since every house in the peninsula harboured
some of the ubiquitous German officers and men. I
wandered through the familiar rooms, and came out
into the garden — or rather what had been the garden.
There I saw that the Saxon gunners were all standing
to their pieces, and one of my none too welcome guests
accosted me as I left the house.

" ' If you'll take my advice, sare, you'll get away
out of this/ he said in broken English.

" ' What ! are you going to fire ? ' I asked.

" ' I don't fancy so. It wouldn't hurt you if we were.
But I think your English friends from Colchester are
about to see if they can draw us.'

"As he spoke I became aware of a sharp, hissing
noise like a train letting off steam. It grew louder and
nearer, passed over our heads, and was almost instantly
followed by a terrible crash somewhere behind the house.
A deeper and more muffled report came up from the
valley beyond Heybridge.

" ' Well, they've begun now, and the best thing you
can do is to get down into that gun epaulment there/
said the German officer.

" I thought his advice was good, and I lost no time
in following it.

" ' Here comes another ! ' cried he, as he jumped
down into the pit beside me. ' We'll have plenty of
them now.'

" So we did. Shell after shell came hissing and
screaming at us over the tree-tops in the gardens lower
down the hill. Each one of them sounded to me as if it
were coming directly at my head, but one after another
passed over us to burst beyond. The gunners all
crouched close to the earthen parapet — and so did I. I
am not ashamed to say so. My German officer, however,
occasionally climbed to the top of the embankment
and studied the prospect through his field-glasses. At
length there was a loud detonation, and a column of dirt
and smoke in the garden next below us. Then two
shells struck the parapet of the gun-pit on our left almost

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 183

simultaneously. Their explosion was deafening, and
we were covered with the dust and stones they threw up.

" Immediately afterwards another shell passed so
close over our heads that I felt my hair lift. It just
cleared the parapet and plunged into the side of my
house. A big hole appeared just to the right of the
dining-room window, and through it came instantan-
eously the loud bang of the explosion. The glass was
shattered in all the windows, and thick smoke, white
and black, came curling from every one of them.

" £ The house is on fire ! ' I shouted, and sprang
madly from the pit. Heedless of the bombardment,
I rushed into the building. Another crash sounded
overhead as I entered, and a blaze of light shone down
the stairway for an instant. Another projectile had
found a billet in my home. I tried to make my way
to my study, but found the passage blocked with fallen
beams and ceiling. What with the smoke and dust,
and the blocking of some of the windows, it was very
dark in the hall, and I got quite a shock when, as I
looked about me to find my way, I saw two red, glitter-
ing specks shining over the top of a heap of debris.
But the howl that followed told me that they were
nothing but the eyes of miserable Tim, the cat, who,
left behind, had been nearly frightened out of his senses
by the noise and concussion of the bursting shell. As
I gazed at him another projectile struck the house
quite close to us. Tim was simply smashed by a flying
fragment. I was thrown down, and half buried under
a shower of bricks and mortar. I think I must have
lost consciousness for a time.

44 The next thing I recollect was being dragged
out into the garden by a couple of Saxons. I had a
splitting headache, and was very glad of a glass of
water that one of them handed me. Their officer,
who appeared to be quite a decent fellow, offered me
his flask.

44 4 The house is all right,' he said, with his strong
accent. 4 It caught fire once, but we managed to get

184 THE INVASION OF 1910

it under. Your friends have cleared off — at any rate
for the present. They got too bold at last, and pushed
their guns down till they got taken in flank by the war-
ship in the river They had two of their pieces knocked
to bits, and then cleared out. Best thing you can do
is to do the same.'

" I was in two minds. I could not save the house
by staying, and might just as well join my people at
Purleigh Rectory. On the other hand, I felt that it
would better become me, as Mayor, to stick to the
town. Duty triumphed, and I decided to remain
where I was — at least for the present. All was now
quiet, and after an early supper I turned in, and, despite
the excitement of the day and my aching head, was
asleep the moment I touched the pillow/ '

" Wednesday, September 5.

" It must have been about three in the morning
when I awoke. My head was much better, and for a
minute or two I lay comfortably in the darkness, without
any recollection of the events of the preceding day.
Then I saw a bright reflection pass rapidly over the
ceiling. I wondered vaguely what it was. Presently
it came back again, paused a moment, and disappeared.
By this time I was wide awake. I went to the window
and looked out. It was quite dark, but from some-
where over beyond Heybridge a long white ray was
sweeping all along this side of Maldon. Now the
foliage of a tree in the garden below would stand out
in pale green radiance against the blackness ; now
the wall of a house half a mile away would reflect back
the moving beam, shining white as a sheet of notepaper.

" Presently another ray shone out, and the two
of them moving backwards and forwards made the
whole of our hillside caper in a dizzy dance. From
somewhere far away to my right another stronger
beam now streamed through the obscurity, directed
apparently at the sources of the other two, and almost
simultaneously came the crack of a rifle from the direc-

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 185

tion of Heybridge, sharp and ominous in the quiet
darkness of the night. Half a dozen scattered shots
followed ; then a faint cheer. More and more rifles
joined in, and presently the burring tap-tap-tap of a
Maxim. I hurried on my clothes. The firing increased
in volume and rapidity; bugles rang out here, there,
and everywhere through the sleeping town, and above
the rolling, rattling clamour of the drums I could dis-
tinguish the hurried tramp of hundreds of feet.

" I cast one glance from the window as I quitted
the room. The electric searchlights had increased
to at least half a dozen. Some reached out long,
steady fingers into the vague spaces of the night, while
others wandered restlessly up and down, hither and
thither. Low down over the trees of the garden a
dull red glare slowly increased in extent and intensity.
The rattle of musketry was now absolutely continuous.
As I ran out of the house into the street I was nearly
carried off my feet by the rush of a battalion that was
pouring down Cromwell Hill at the double. Hardly
knowing what I did, I followed in their wake. The
glare in front got brighter and brighter. A few steps,
and I could see the cause of it. The whole of Heybridge
appeared to be on fire, the flames roaring skywards
from a dozen different conflagrations."

England halted breathless. Fighting had commenced
in real earnest.

The greatest consternation was caused by the publica-
tion in the Times of the description of the operations
in Essex, written by Mr. Henry Bentley, the distin-
guished war correspondent, who had served that journal
in every campaign since Kitchener had entered Khartum.

All other papers, without exception, contained various
accounts of the British defence at the point nearest
London, but they were mostly of the scrappy and sen-
sational order, based more on report than upon actual
fact. The Times account, however, had been written
with calm impartiality by one of the most experienced

186 THE INVASION OF 1910

correspondents at the front. Whether he had been
afforded any special facilities was not apparent, but, in
any case, it was the most complete and truthful account
of the gallant attempt on the part of our soldiers to check
the advance from Essex westward.

During the whole of that hot, stifling day it was
known that a battle was raging, and the excitement
everywhere was intense.

The public were in anxious terror as the hours crept
by until the first authentic news of the result of the
operations was printed in a special evening edition of
the Times as follows : —

" (From our War Correspondent.)

" Danbury, Essex, September 8.

" To-day has been a momentous one for England.
The great battle has raged since dawn, and though just
at present there seems to be a lull, during which the
opposing forces are, so to speak, regaining their breath,
it can be by no means over.

" Dead and living alike will lie out on the battlefield
the whole night through, for we must hold on to the
positions so hardly won, and be ready to press forward
at the first glimmer of daylight. Our gallant troops,
Regular and Volunteer alike, have nobly vindicated the
traditions of our race, and have fought as desperately
as ever did their forebears at Agincourt, Albuera, or
Waterloo. But while a considerable success — paid for,
alas ! by the loss of thousands of gallant lives — has been
achieved, it will take at least another day's hard fighting
before victory is in our grasp. Nowadays a soldier need
not expect to be either victorious or finally defeated by
nightfall, and although this battle, fought as it is between
much smaller forces and extending over a much more
limited area than the great engagement between the
Russians and Japanese at Liaoyang, will not take quite
so long a time to decide, the end is not yet in sight. I
write this after a hard day's travelling backwards and
forwards behind our advancing line of battle.

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 187

" I took my cycle with me in my motor-car, and
whenever opportunity offered mounted it, and pushed
forward as near to the fighting as I could get. Fre-
quently I had to leave the cycle also, and crawl forward
on hands and knees, sheltering in some depression in
the ground, while the enemy's bullets whined and
whistled overhead. As reported in a previous issue,
the Army which had assembled at Brentwood moved
forward early on the 5th.

" During the afternoon the advanced troops suc-
ceeded in driving the enemy out of South Hanningfield,
and before sundown they were also in full retreat from
the positions they had held at East Hanningfield and
Danbury. There was some stiff fighting at the latter
place, but after a pounding from the artillery, who
Drought several batteries into action on the high ground
north-west of East Hanningfield, the Germans were
unable to withstand the attack of the Argyll and Suther-
lands and the London Scottish, who worked their way
through Danbury Park and Hall Wood right into their
position, driving them from their entrenchments by a
dashing bayonet charge. Everything north and east
of the enemy's main position, which is now known to lie
north and south, between Maldon and the river Crouch,
was now in our hands, but his troops still showed a
stout front at Wickford, and were also reported to be at
Rayleigh, Hockley, and Canewdon, several miles to the
eastward. All preparations were made to assault the
German position at Wickford at daybreak to-day, but
our scouts found that the place had been evacuated.
The news that Rayleigh and Hockley had also been
abandoned by the enemy came in shortly afterwards.
The German invaders had evidently completed their
arrangements for the defence of their main position,
and now said, in effect, ' Come on, and turn us out if
you can.'

" It was no easy task that lay before our gallant
defenders. Maldon, perched on a high knoll, with a
network of river and canal protecting it from assault

188 THE INVASION OF 1910

from the northward, fairly bristles with guns, many of
them heavy field howitzers, and has, as we know to our
cost, already repulsed one attack by our troops. Farther
south there are said to be many guns on the knolls about
Purleigh. This little out-of-the-way hamlet, by the way,
is noteworthy as having had as its Rector from 1632-
1643 the great -great-grandfather of the famous George
Washington, and the father of the first Washingtons who
emigrated to Virginia. Great Canney Hill, standing
boldly up like an immense redoubt, is reported to be
seamed with entrenchments mounting many heavy guns.
The railway embankment south of Maldon forms a perfect
natural rampart along part of the enemy's position,
while the woods and enclosures south-west of Great
Canney conceal thousands of sharpshooters. A sort of
advanced position was occupied by the enemy at Edwin
Hall, a mile east of Woodham Ferrers, where a pair of
high kopjes a quarter of a mile apart offered command
and cover to some of their field batteries.

" Our scouts have discovered also that an elaborate
system of wire entanglements and other military obstacles
protects almost the whole front of the somewhat exten-
sive German position. On its extreme left their line
is said to be thrown back at an angle, so that any attempt
to outflank it would not only entail crossing the river
Crouch, but would come under the fire of batteries
placed on the high ground overlooking it. Altogether,
it is a very tough nut to crack, and the force at our dis-
posal none too strong for the work that lies before it.

" Further detail regarding our strength would be
inadvisable for obvious reasons, but when I point out
that the Germans are supposed to be between thirty and
forty thousand strong, and that it is laid down by com-
petent military authorities that to attack troops in an
entrenched position a superiority of six to one is advis-
able, my readers can draw their own conclusions. For
the same reason, I will not enumerate all the regiments
and corps that go to compose our Army in Essex. At
the same time there can be no harm in mentioning

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 189

some of them which have particularly distinguished
themselves in the hard fighting of the past twelve hours.

" Among these are the Grenadier and Irish Guards,
the Inns of Court Volunteers, and the Honourable
Artillery Company from London, and the Oxfordshire
and two battalions of the Royal Marines from Chatham,
which, with other troops from that place, crossed over
at Tilbury and joined our forces. The last-mentioned
are the most veteran troops we have here, as, besides
belonging to a long-service corps, they have in their
ranks a number of their Reservists who had joined at a
day's notice. The Marines are in reality, though not
nominally, the most territorial of our troops, since the
greater number of their Reserve men settle down in the
immediate neighbourhood of their headquarters. It
is this fact which enabled them to mobilise so much
quicker than the rest of our regiments. The Oxford-
shire, for instance, coming from the same garrison, has
very few Reservists as yet, while most of the others are
in the same plight. And yet the fiat has gone forth
that the Marine Corps, despite its past record, the
excellence of its men, and its constant readiness for
active service, is to lose its military status. Would
that we had a few more of its battalions with us
to-day. But to return to the story of the great battle.

" The repairs to the railway line between Brentwood
and Chelmsford, that had been damaged by the enemy's
cavalry on their first landing, were completed yesterday,
and all night reinforcements had been coming in by way
of Chelmsford and Billericay. The general headquarters
had been established at Danbury, and thither I made
my way as fast as my car could get along the roads,
blocked as they were by marching horse, foot, and
artillery. I had spent the night at South Hanningfield,
so as to be on the spot for the expected attack on
Wickford ; but as soon as I found it was not to come
off, I considered that at Danbury would be the best
chance of finding out what our next move was to be.

" Nor was I mistaken. As I ran up to the village

igo THE INVASION OF 1910

I found the roads full of troops under arms, and every-
thing denoted action of some kind. I was lucky enough
to come across a friend of mine on the staff — Captain

B , I will call him — who spared a moment to give me

the tip that a general move forward was commencing,
and that a big battle was imminent. Danbury is
situated on the highest ground for many miles round,
and as it bid fair to be a fine, clear day, I thought I could
not do better than try and get a general look round
from the summit of the church tower before proceeding
farther. But I was informed that the General was up
there with some of his staff and a signalling party, so
that I could not ascend.

" However, no other newspaper correspondents were
in the immediate vicinity, and as there was thus no
fear of my case being quoted as a precedent, my pass
eventually procured me admission to the little platform,
which, by the way, the General left a moment after my
arrival. It was now eight o'clock, the sun was fairly
high in the heavens, and the light mists that hung about
the low ground in the vicinity of Maldon were fast fading
into nothingness. The old town was plainly distinguish-
able as a dark silhouette against the morning light,
which, while it illumined the panorama spread out
before me, yet rendered observation somewhat difficult,
since it shone almost directly into my eyes. However,
by the aid of my glasses I was able to see something of
the first moves on the fatal chess-board where so many
thousands of lives are staked on the bloody game of war.

" I noticed among other things that the lessons of
the recent war in the East had not passed unobserved,
for in all the open spaces on the eastern slope of the hill,
where the roads were not screened by trees or coppices,
lofty erections of hurdles and greenery had been placed
overnight to hide the preliminary movements of our
troops from the glasses of the enemy. Under cover of
these regiment after regiment of khaki-clad soldiers,
batteries of artillery, and ammunition carts, were pro-
ceeding to their allotted posts down the network of

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 191

roads and lanes leading to the lower ground towards the
south-east. Two battalions stood in quarter column
behind Thrift Wood. They were kilted corps, probably
the Argylls and the London Scottish. Several field
batteries moved off to the left towards Woodham Walter.
Other battalions took up their position behind Hyde
Woods, farther away to the right, the last of them, the
Grenadier Guards, I fancy, passing behind them and
marching still farther southward.

" Finally two strong battalions, easily recognised
as marines by their blue war-kit, marched rapidly down
the main road and halted presently behind Woodham
Mortimer Place. All this time there was neither sight
nor sound of the enemy. The birds carrolled gaily in
the old elms round my eyrie, the sparrows and martins
piped and twittered in the eaves of the old church, and
the sun shone genially on hill and valley, field and wood.
To all appearance, peace reigned over the countryside,
though the dun masses of troops in the shadows of the
woodlands were suggestive of the autumn manoeuvres.
But for all this, the ' Real Thing ' was upon us. As I
looked, first one then another long and widely scattered
line of crouching men in khaki issued from the cover
of Hyde Woods and began slowly to move away towards
the east. Then, and not till then, a vivid violet-white
flash blazed out on the dim grey upland five miles away
to the south-east, which had been pointed out to me as
Great Canney, and almost at once a spout of earth and
smoke sprang up a little way ahead of the advancing
British. A dull boom floated up on the breeze, but was
drowned in an ear-splitting crash somewhere close to
me. I felt the old tower rock under the concussion,
which I presently discovered came from a battery of
big 4.7 guns established just outside the churchyard.

" There were at least six of them, and as one after
another gave tongue, I descended from my rickety perch
and went down to look at them. They were manned by
a party of Bluejackets, who had brought them over from
Chatham, and among the guns I found some of my

192 THE INVASION OF 1910

acquaintances in the Boer War, ' Joe Chamberlain '
and ' Bloody Mary,' to wit. But I must leave my own
personal experiences, at least for the present, and
endeavour to give a general account of the day's opera-
tions so far as I was able to follow them by observation
and inquiry. The movement I saw developing below
me was the first step towards what I eventually dis-
covered was our main objective — Purleigh. The open
ground, flat as a billiard-table to the north of this towards
Maldon, presented the weakest front to our attack, but
it was considered that if we penetrated there we should
in a very short time be decimated and swept away by
the cross fire from Maldon and Purleigh, to say nothing
of that from other positions we might certainly assume
the enemy had prepared in rear.

" Could we succeed in establishing ourselves at
Purleigh, however, we should be beyond effective range
from Maldon, and should also take Great Canney in
reverse, as well as the positions on the refused left flank
of the enemy. Maldon, too, would be isolated. Purleigh,
therefore, was the key of the position. We have not
got it yet, but have made a good stride in its direction,
and if it is true that ' fortune favours the brave,' ought
certainly to be in possession of it by to-morrow evening.
Our first move was in this direction, as I have already
indicated. The scouts were picked men from the Line
battalions, but the firing lines were composed of Volun-
teers and, in some cases, Militiamen. It was considered
more politic to reserve the Regulars for the later stages
of the attack. The firing from Canney, and afterwards
from Purleigh, was at first at rather too long a range to
be effective, even from the heavy guns that were in use,
and later on the heavy long-range fire from ' Bloody
Mary ' and her sisters at Danbury, and other heavy
guns and howitzers in the neighbourhood of East
Hanningfield, kept it down considerably, although the
big, high-explosive shells were now and again most
terribly destructive to the advancing British.

" When, however, the firing line — which as yet had

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX

not been near enough to fire a shot in reply — arrived in
the neighbourhood of Loddard's Hill, its left came under
a terrible rifle fire from Hazeleigh Wood, while its right
and centre were all but destroyed by a tornado of shrapnel
from some German field batteries to the north of Purleigh.

Battle of Purleigh, 6th September.

Though dazed and staggered under the appalling sleet
of projectiles, the Volunteers stuck doggedly to their
ground, though unable to advance. They were in-
telligent men ; and even if they had the inclination to
fall back, they knew that there was no safety that way.
Line after line was pushed forward, the men stumbling
13

194 THE INVASION OF 1910

and falling over the thickly scattered bodies of their
fallen comrades.

" It was a perfect holocaust. Some other card must
be played at once, or the attack must fail."

The second of Mr. Henry Bentley's descriptive
articles in the Times told a terrible truth, and was
as follows : —

" (From our War Correspondent.)

" Chelmsford, September 7.

"When I sent off my despatch by motor-car last
night it was with very different feelings to those with
which I take my pen in hand this evening, in the
Saracen's Head Hotel, which is the headquarters of my
colleagues, the correspondents.

" Last night, despite the hard fighting and the heavy
losses we had sustained, the promise of the morrow
was distinctly a good one. But now I have little
heart with which to commence the difficult and un-
pleasant task of chronicling the downfall of all our
high hopes, the repulse — ay, and the defeat — it is no
use mincing matters — of our heroic and sorely tried Army.

" Yes, our gallant soldiers have sustained a reverse
which, but for their stubborn fighting qualities and a
somewhat inexplicable holding back on the part of the
Germans, might very easily have culminated in disaster.
Defeat although it undoubtedly is, the darkness of
the gloomy outlook is illuminated by the brilliancy of
the conduct of our troops.

" From General down to the 3^oungest Volunteer
drummer boy, our brave soldiers did all, and more,
than could be humanly expected of them, and on
none of them can be laid the blame of our ill-success.
The plan of attack is agreed on all hands to have been
as good a one as could have been evolved ; the officers
led well, their men fought well, and there was no running
short of ammunition at any period of the engagement.

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 195

" ' Who, then, was responsible ? ' it may well be
asked. The answer is simple. The British public,
which, in its apathetic attitude towards military effi-
ciency, aided and abetted by the soothing theories
of the extremists of the ' Blue Water ' school, had,
as usual, neglected to provide an Army fitted to cope
in numbers and efficiency with those of our Continental
neighbours. Had we had a sufficiency of troops,
more especially of regular troops, there is not the slightest
doubt that the victory would have been ours. As
it was, our General was obliged to attack the enemy's
position with a force whose numbers, even if they
had been all regular soldiers, were below those judged
necessary by military experts for the task in hand.

"Having broken through the German lines, success
was in his grasp, had he had sufficient reinforcements
to have established him in the position he had won
and to beat back the inevitable counter-attack. But
it is best that I should continue my account of the
fighting from the point at which I closed my letter of
yesterday. I had arrived at the checking of our advance
near Loddard's Hill by the blast of shrapnel from the
German field batteries. It was plain that the Volunteer
Brigade, though it held its ground, could not advance
farther. But, unnoticed by them, the General had
been preparing for this eventuality.

" On the left the two battalions of Marines that I
noticed drawn up behind Woodham Mortimer Place
suddenly debouched on Loddard's Hill, and, carrying
forward with them the debris of the Volunteer firing
line, hurled themselves into Hazeleigh Wood. There
was a sanguinary hand-to-hand struggle on the wire-
entangled border, but the new-comers were not to be
denied, and after a quarter of an hour's desperate
melee, which rilled the sylvan glades with moaning, and
writhing wounded and stark dead bodies, we remained
masters of the wood, and even obtained a footing on
the railway line where it adjoins it. a

" Simultaneously a long line of our field batteries

196 THE INVASION OF 1910

came into action near Woodham Mortimer, some
trying to beat down the fire of the German guns opposite,
while others replied to a battery that had been estab-
lished near West Maldon Station to flank the railway,
and which was now beginning to open on Hazeleigh
Wood. The latter were assisted by a battery of 4.7 guns
manned by Volunteers, which took up a position behind
Woodham Walter. The firing on Great Canney from
our batteries at East Hanningfield redoubled, the
whole summit of the hill being at times obscured by
the clouds of smoke and debris from the explosions
of the big, high-explosive projectiles.

" The main firing line, continually fed from the rear,
now began slowly to gain ground, and when the Grena-
diers and the Irish Guards, who had managed to work
up through the series of plantations that run eastwards
for nearly two miles from Woodham Hall without
drawing any particular attention from the busily
engaged enemy, came into action on the right, there
was a distinct move forward. But the defence was
too stubborn, and about midday the whole line again
came to a standstill, its left still in Hazeleigh Wood,
its right at Prentice Farm. Orders were passed that
the men should try to entrench themselves as best
they could, and spades and other tools were sent forward
to those corps who were not provided with them already.

" Here we must leave the main attack to notice what
was going on elsewhere. On the north the Colchester
Garrison again brought their heavy artillery into action
on the slopes south of Wickham Bishops, while others
of our troops made a show of advancing against Maldon
from the west. These movements were, however,
merely intended to keep the German garrison occupied.
But on the right a rather important flanking move-
ment was in progress.

" We had a considerable body of troops at East
Hanningfield, which lies in a hollow between two little
ridges, both running from south-west to north-east, and
about a mile apart. The most easterly ridge is very

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 197

narrow for the most part, and behind it were stationed
several batteries of our field howitzers, which fired over it
at Great Canney at a range of about 5000 yards. A
number of 4.7-inch guns, scattered over the western
hill, were also concentrated on the same target.
Although the range was an extremely long one, there
is no doubt that they made a certain number of effective
hits, since Great Canney offered a conspicuous and
considerable target. But beyond this the flashes of
their discharges drew off all attention from the howitzer
batteries in front of them, and served to conceal their
presence from the enemy. Otherwise, although in-
visible, their presence would have been guessed at.
As it was, not a single German projectile came anywhere
near them.

"When the fighting began, those troops who were
not intended to be held in reserve or to co-operate
with the right of the main attack moved off in the
direction of Woodham Ferrers, and made a feint of
attacking the German position astride the two kopjes
at Edwin's Hall, their field guns coming into action
on the high ground north of Rettendon, and engaging
those of the enemy at long range. But the real attack
on this salient of the German position came from a
very different quarter.

"The troops detailed for this movement were those
who had advanced against Wickford at daybreak,
and had found it abandoned by the enemy. They
consisted of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry, the Honour-
able Artillery Company, and the Inns of Court Volun-
teers, together with their own and three or four other
machine-gun detachments, their Maxims being mounted
on detachable legs instead of carriages. Co-operating
with them were the Essex and the East Kent Yeomanry,
who were scouting in the direction of Hockley.

"The troops had a long, wearisome march before
them, the design being to take advantage of the time
of low tide, and to move along out of sight of the enemy
behind the northern bank of the river Crouch, as it

198 THE INVASION OF 1910

had been discovered that the German line of defence
turned back to the eastward at a mile or two north
of the river at the point aimed at. Its guns still com-
manded it, and might be trusted to render abortive
any attempt to throw a bridge across it. The Yeomanry
had the task of occupying the attention of the enemy
at Canewdon, and of preventing the passage of boats
from the German warships. This part of our operations
succeeded admirably. The long creeping lines of the
Oxfordshires and the machine-gun detachments in
their khaki uniforms were almost indistinguishable
against the steep mud banks at any distance, and
they escaped observation both from the German main
lines and from their outpost at Canewdon until they
had reached the entrances of the two branch creeks
for which they were making.

" Then, and not till then, came the sound of artillery
from the left rear of the German position. But it
was too late. The Oxford companies pushed forward
at the double. Five companies lined the embank-
ments of Stow Creek, the easternmost of the two,
while the remainder, ensconced in Clementsgreen Creek,
aligned the whole of their machine-guns on the southern
of the two kopjes against which the manoeuvre had
been directed. Their fire, which, coming from a little
to the rear of the left flank of the southern kopje,
completely enfiladed it, created such slaughter and
confusion that the Honourable Artillery Company
and the Inns of Court, who had been working up the
railway line from Battle Bridge, had little difficulty
in establishing themselves at Woodham Ferrers Station
and in an adjacent farm. Being almost immediately
afterwards reinforced by the arrival of two regular
battalions who had been pushed forward from Rettendon,
a determined assault was made on the southern kopje.
Its defenders, demoralised by the pelting shower of
lead from the machine-gun battery, and threatened
also by the advance from Woodham Ferrers village,
gave way, and our people, forcing their way over

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 199

every obstacle, seized the position amid frantic
cheering.

" Meanwhile the Oxfordshires had been subjected
to a determined counter-attack from North Frambridge.
Preceded by a pounding from the guns on Kit's Hill,
but aided by the fire of the Yeomanry on the south
bank of the river, who galloped up and lined the em-
bankment, thus flanking the defenders of Stow Creek,
it was beaten back with considerable loss. The machine-
guns were transferred to the neighbourhood of South
Kopje, and used with such effect that its defenders,
after repulsing several counter-attacks from the adjoin-
ing German entrenchment, were able to make themselves
masters of the North Kopje also.

"Elsewhere the fighting still continued strenuous
and deadly. The main attack had contrived to make
some little shelter for itself ; but though three several
attempts were made to advance from this, all ended
in failure, one nearly in disaster. This was the last
of the three, when the advancing line was charged
by a mass of cavalry which suddenly appeared from
behind Great Canney Hill. I myself was a witness of
this attack, the most picturesque incident of the day's
fighting.

" I was watching the progress of the engagement
through my glasses from the high ground about Wick-
hams Farm, when I saw line after line of the German
horsemen in their sky-blue tunics and glittering helmets
trot out into the open, canter, and one after another
break into a mad gallop as they bore down upon the
advancing lines of our citizen soldiers. Staunchly
as these had withstood the murderous fire which for
hours had been directed upon them, this whirlwind
of lance and sabre, the thunder of thousands of hoofs,
and the hoarse cries of the riders, were rather more
than such partially trained soldiers could stand. A
scattering discharge from their rifles was followed by
something very much approaching a sauve qui peut.

" A large number of the Volunteers, however, sought

200 THE INVASION OF 1910

shelter among the ruined houses of Cock Clarke's hamlet,
from whence they opened a heavy fire on the adven-
turous horsemen. The Argyll and Sutherland High-
landers, who were by this time in Mosklyns Copse,
and the Guards and other troops on the right, also
opened a rapid and sustained fire on the German cavalry,
which, seconded by the shrapnel from our guns on
Loddard's Hill, caused them to turn and ride back
for their lives. There was a tremendous outburst of
firing from both sides after this, followed by quite a
lull. One could well imagine that all the combatants
were exhausted by the prolonged effort of the day.
It was now between five and six in the evening. It
was at this time that the news of the capture of the
two kopjes reached me, and I made for Danbury to
write my despatches.

" Shortly after my arrival I heard of the capture of
Spar Hill, a detached knoll about 12,000 yards to the
north-west of Purleigh. The Marines from Hazeleigh
Wood and the Highlanders from Mosklyns Copse had
suddenly and simultaneously assaulted it from opposite
sides, and were now entrenching themselves upon it.
What wonder, then, that I reported satisfactory pro-
gress, and reckoned — too confidently, as it proved —
on a victory for the morrow ?

" I spent a great part of that night under the stars
on the hilltop near East Hanningfield, watching the
weird play of the searchlights which swept over the
country from a score of different positions, and listen-
ing to the crash of artillery and clatter of rifle fire
which now and again told of some attempted movement
under cover of the darkness. Just before daylight
the continuous roar of battle began again, and when
light dawned I found that our troops had cut right
through the German lines, and had penetrated as far
as Cop Kitchen's farm, on the Maldon-Mundon road.
Reinforcements were being hurried up, and an attack
was being pushed towards the rear of Purleigh and
Great Canney, which was being heavily bombarded

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN ESSEX 201

by some of our large guns, which had been mounted
during the night on the two kopjes.

" But the reinforcements were not enough. The
Germans held fast to Purleigh and to some reserve
positions they had established about Mundon. After
two or three hours of desperate effort, costing the
lives of thousands, our attack was at a standstill. At
this critical moment a powerful counter-attack was
made from Maldon, and, outnumbered and almost
surrounded, our gallant warriors had to give ground.
But they fell back as doggedly as they had advanced,
the , Argylls, Marines, and Grenadiers covering the
retreat on Danbury.

"The guns at East Hanningfield and the two kopjes
checked the pursuit to a great extent, and the Germans
seemed unwilling to go far from their works. The
kopjes had to be abandoned later in the day, and we
now occupy our former line from Danbury to Billericay,
and are busily engaged in entrenching ourselves."

CHAPTER XIII

DEFENCE AT LAST

Late on Wednesday night came tardy news of the
measures we were taking to mobilise.

The Aldershot Army Corps, so complete in the
" Army List," consisted, as all the world knew, of three
divisions, but of these only two existed, the other being
found to be on paper. The division in question, located
at Bordon, was to be formed on mobilisation, and this
measure was now being proceeded with. The train
service was practically suspended, owing to the damage
done to the various lines south of London by the enemy's
emissaries. Several of these men had been detected,
and being in plain clothes were promptly shot out of
hand. However, their work had, unfortunately for us,
been accomplished, and trains could only run as far
as the destroyed bridges, so men on their way to join their
respective corps were greatly delayed in consequence.

In one instance, at about four o'clock in the morning,
three men were seen by a constable acting suspiciously
beneath the iron girder bridge of the South- Western
Railway spanning the road on the London side of Sur-
biton Station. Of a sudden the men bolted, and a
few moments later, with a terrific explosion, the great
bridge crashed into the road.

The constable raised the alarm that the fugitives
were German spies, whereupon a few unemployed
workmen, rushing down Effingham Gardens, caught
two of the men in Malpas Road. In the hands of these
irate bricklayers the Germans were given short shrift,

DEFENCE AT LAST

203

and, notwithstanding the protests of the constable,
the two spies were dragged along the Portsmouth Road,
pitched headlong into the Thames almost immediately
opposite the water- works, and drowned.

All was confusion at B or don, where men were arriving
in hundreds on foot, and by the service of motor-omni-
buses, which the War Office had on the day before
established between Charing Cross and Aldershot.
Perspiring staff officers strove diligently, without much
avail, to sort out into their respective units this ever-
increasing mass of reservists.

There was perfect chaos.

Before the chief constituent parts of the division —
that is to say, regiments who were stationed elsewhere
— had arrived little could be done with the reservists.
The regiments in question were in many cases stationed
at considerable distance, and although they had received
orders to start, were prevented from arriving owing
to the universal interruptions of the railway traffic
south. By this, whole valuable days were lost — days
when at any hour the invaders might make a sudden
swoop on London.

Reports were alarming and conflicting. Some said
that the enemy meant to strike a blow upon the capital
just as suddenly as they had landed, while others re-
assured the alarmists that the German plans were
not yet complete, and that they had not sufficient
stores to pursue the campaign.

Reservists, with starvation staring them in the face,
went eagerly south to join their regiments, knowing
that at least they would be fed with regularity ; while,
in addition, the true patriotic spirit of the Englishman
had been roused against the aggressive Teuton, and
everyone, officer and man, was eager to bear his part
in driving the invader into the sea.

The public were held breathless. What would
happen ? ®%

Arrivals at Aldershot, however, found the whole
arrangements in such a complete muddle that Army

204 THE INVASION OF 1910

Service Corps men, who ought to have been at Woolwich,
were presenting themselves for enrolment at Bordon,
and infantry of the line were conducted into the camp
of the Dragoons. The Motor Volunteer Corps were at
this moment of very great use. The cars were filled
with staff officers and other exalted officials, who were
settling themselves in various offices, and passing out
again to make necessary arrangements for dealing with
such a large influx of men.

There were activity and excitement everywhere.
Men were rapidly drawing their clothing, or as much
of it as they could get, and civilians were quickly becom-
ing soldiers on every hand. Officers of the Reserve
were driving up in motor-cars and cabs, many of them
with their old battered uniform-cases, that had seen
service in the field in distant parts of the globe. Men
from the " Junior " and the " Senior " wrung each
other's hands on returning to active duty with their
old regiments, and at once settled down into the routine
work they knew so well.

The rumour, however, had now got about that a
position in the neighbourhood of Cambridge had been
selected by the General Staff as being the most suitable
theatre of action where an effective stand could, with
any hope of success, be made. It was evident that
the German tactics were to strike a swift and rapid
blow at London. Indeed, nothing at present stood in
their way except the gallant little garrison at Colchester,
who had been so constantly driven back by the enemy's
cavalry on attempting to make any reconnaissance,
and who might be swept out of existence at any hour.

During Tuesday and Wednesday large gangs of
workmen had been busy repairing the damaged lines.
The first regiment complete for the field was the 2nd
Battalion of the 5th Fusiliers, who carried upon their
colours the names of a score of battles, ranging from
Corunna and Badajoz, all through the Peninsula,
Afghanistan, and Egypt, down to the Modder River.

DEFENCE AT LAST

205

This regiment left by train for London on Tuesday
evening, and was that same night followed by the
2nd Battalion King's Liverpool Regiment and the
1st King's Shropshire Light Infantry, while the
Manchester Regiment got away soon after midnight.

These formed the second infantry brigade of the
1st Division, and were commanded by Brigadier-
General Sir John Money. They were several hours
getting up to London, whence from Clapham Junction
their trains circled London - on to the Great Eastern
system to Braintree, where the Horn Hotel was made
the headquarters. By other trains in the small hours
of the morning the last of the Guards Brigade under
Colonel (temporary Brigadier-General) Lord Wansford
departed, and duly arrived at Saffron Walden, to join
their comrades on the line of defence.

The divisional troops were also on the move early
on Wednesday. Six batteries of artillery and the field
company of Royal Engineers left by road. There was
a balloon section accompanying this, and searchlights,
wireless instruments, and cables for field-telegraphy
were carried in the waggons.

The 2nd Division, under Lieutenant - General
Morgan, C.B., was also active. The 3rd Infantry
Brigade, commanded by Major- General Fortescue,
composed of 2nd Battalion Northamptonshire Regi-
ment, the 2nd Bedfordshire, the 1st Princess of Wales'
Own, and the 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers, were preparing,
but had not yet moved. The 4th Infantry Brigade
of the same division, consisting of the 3rd and 4th
Battalions King's Royal Rifle Corps, the 2nd Sherwood
Foresters, and the 2nd South Lancashire, with the
usual smartness of those distinguished regiments, were
quick and ready, now as ever, to go to the front. They
were entrained to Baldock, slightly east of Hitchin,
where they marched out on the Icknield Way. These
were followed by Fortescue's Brigade, who were also
bound for Baldock and the neighbourhood.

The bulk of the cavalry and field artillery of Jboth

206 THE INVASION OF 1910

divisions, together with the divisional troops, were
compelled to set out by march-route from Aldershot
for the line of defences. The single and all-sufficient
reason of this delay in sending out the cavalry and
artillery was owing to the totally inadequate accom-
modation on the railways for the transport of so many
horses and guns. The troop-trains, which were, of
course, necessary to transport the infantry, were not
forthcoming in sufficient numbers, this owing to the
fact that at several points the lines to London were
still interrupted.

The orders to the cavalry who went by march-
route were to get up to the line proposed to be taken
up by the infantry as quickly as possible, and to operate
in front of it to the east and north-east in screening
and reconnoitring duties. The temporary deficiency
of cavalry, who ought, of course, to have been the first
to arrive at the scene, was made good as far as possible
by the general employment of hordes of motor-cyclists,
who scoured the country in large armed groups in order
to ascertain, if possible, the dispositions of the enemy.
This they did, and very soon after their arrival reported
the result of their investigations to the general officers
commanding the ist and 2nd Divisions.

Meanwhile both cavalry and artillery in great bodies,
and strings of motor-omnibuses filled with troops,
were upon the white, dusty roads passing through
Staines to Hounslow and Brentford, thence to London,
St. Albans, en route to their respective divisions.
Roughly, the distance was over fifty miles, therefore
those marching were compelled to halt the night on
the way, while those in the motor-omnibuses got through
to their destination.

To cavalry, thirty-five miles is a long day's march,
and in view of the heavy work before them, stringent
orders had been given them to spare the horses as much
as possible. The heads of the columns did not, therefore,
pass beyond Hounslow on the first night, and in that
neighbourhood the thousands of all ranks made them-

DEFENCE AT LAST

207

selves as comfortable as circumstances would permit.
The majority of the men were fed and billeted by the
all-too-willing inhabitants, and upon their hot march
they met with ovations everywhere.

At last we were defending ourselves ! I The sight of
British troops hurrying to the front swelled the hearts
of the villagers and townsfolk with renewed patriotism,
and everywhere, through the blazing, dusty day, the
men were offered refreshment by even the poorest and
humblest cottagers. In Bagshot, in Staines, and in
Hounslow the people went frantic with excitement,
as squadron after squadron rapidly passed along, with
its guns, wagons, and ambulances rumbling noisily
over the stones, in the rear.

Following these came pontoon troops with their long
grey wagons and mysterious-looking bridging appara-
tus, telegraph troops, balloon sections, supply columns,
field bakery, and field hospitals, the last-named packed
in wagons marked with the well-known red cross of
the Geneva Convention.

No sooner was Aldershot denuded of its army corps,
however, than battalions began to arrive from Ports-
mouth on their way north, while troops from the great
camp on Salisbury Plain were rapidly being pushed to
the front, which, roughly speaking, extended through
Hitchin, Royston, to Saffron Walden, across to Brain-
tree, and also the high ground commanding the valley
of the Colne to Colchester.

The line chosen by the General Staff was the natural
chain of hills which presented the first obstacle to the
enemy advancing on London from the wide plain
stretching eastward beyond Cambridge to the sea.

If this could be held strongly, as was intended, by
practically the whole of the British forces located in
the South of England, including the Yeomanry, Militia,
and Volunteers — who were now all massing in every
direction — then the deadly peril threatening England
might be averted.

But could it be held ?

208 THE INVASION OF 1910

\yE, WILHELM,

GIVE NOTICE to the inhabitants of those provinces occupied
by the German Imperial Army, that—

I MAKE WAR upon the soldiers, and not upon English
citizens. Consequently, it is my wish to give the latter and
their property entire security, and as long as they do not
embark upon hostile enterprise against the German troops
they have a right to my protection.

GENERALS COMMANDING the various corps in the
various districts in England are ordered to place before the
public the stringent measures which I have ordered to be
adopted against towns, villages, and persons who act in
contradiction to the usages of war. They are to regulate
in the same manner all the operations necessary for the
well-being of our troops, to fix the difference between the
English and German rate of exchange, and to facilitate in
every manner possible the individual transactions between
our Army and the inhabitants of England.

WILHELM.

Given at Potsdam, September 4/7^1910.

The above is a copy of the German Imperial Decree, printed in
English, which was posted by unknown German agents in
London, and which appeared everywhere throughout East
Anglia and in that portion of the Midlands held by the
enemy.

DEFENCE AT LAST

209

This was the appalling question on everyone's
tongue all over the country, for it now became generally
known that upon this line of defence four complete
and perfectly equipped German army corps were ready
to advance at any moment, in addition to the right
flank being exposed to the attack of the Xllth Saxon
Corps, entrenched on the Essex coast.

It was estimated that no fewer than two hundred
thousand Germans were already upon English soil !

The outlook grew blacker every hour.

London was in a state of absolute stagnation and
chaos. In the City, business was now at an entire
standstill. The credit system had received a fatal
blow, and nobody wanted to buy securities. Had
people kept level heads in the crisis there would have
been a moratorium, but, as it was, a panic had been
created that nothing could allay. Even Consols were
now unsaleable. Some of the smaller banks were
known to have failed, and traders and manufacturers
all over the country had been ruined on account of
credit, the foundation of all trade, having been swept
away. Only persons of the highest financial standing
could have dealt with the banks, even if they had
remained open.

The opinion held in banking circles was that if
the invasion should unfortunately prove disastrous to
England, and Germany demand a huge indemnity,
there was still hope, however small. The experience
of the Franco-German War had proved that though
in such circumstances the Bank, for a considerable
period, might not be able to resume cash payments,
yet, with sound finance, there was no reason that the
currency should greatly depreciate. During the period
of suspension of cash payments by the Bank of France
the premium on gold never went above 1.5 per cent.,
and during most of the period was 5, 4, or even less
per mille. Therefore what the French by sound bank-
ing had been able to do, there was no reason why English
bankers could not also do.

2io THE INVASION OF 1910

At the outbreak of the war of 1870, on August 1
French Three per Cent. Rentes were at 60.85, and Four
and a Half per Cents, at 98. On the memorable day
of Sedan, September 2, they were at 50.80 and 88.50
respectively, and on January 2, 1871, Three per Cents,
were down to 50.95. At the commencement of the
Commune, on March 18, they were at 51.50 and 76.25,
and on the 30th of that month down to 50.60 and 76.25
respectively.

With so little money in England as there now was,
securities had fallen to the value at which holders would
as soon not sell as sell at such a great discount. High
rates and the heavy fall in the value of securities had
brought business in every quarter all over London to
a standstill. Firms all over the country were now hard
put to it in order to find the necessary money to carry
on their various trades. Instantly, after the report of
the reverse at Sheffield, there was a wild rush to obtain
gold, and securities dropped even a few more points.

Therefore, there was little or nothing for the banks
to do, and Lombard Street, Lothbury, and the other
banking centres were closed, as though it had been
Sunday or Bank Holiday. Despair was, alas ! every-
where, and the streets presented strange scenes.

Most of the motor-omnibuses had been taken off
the road and pressed into the service of the military.
The walls bore a dozen different broadsides and pro-
clamations, which were read by the gaping, hungry
crowds.

The Royal Standard was flying from St. Stephen's
Tower, for Parliament had now met, and all members
who were not abroad for their summer vacation had
taken their places at the heated debates now hourly in
progress. Over Buckingham Palace the Royal Standard
also flew proudly, while upon every public building
was displayed a Union Jack or a white ensign, many of
which had done duty at the coronation of His Majesty
King Edward. The Admiralty flew its own flag, and
upon the War Office, the India Office, the Foreign Office,

DEFENCE AT LAST

211

and all the dark, sombre Government buildings in White-
hall was bunting displayed.

The wild enthusiasm of Sunday and Monday, how-
ever, had given place to a dark, hopeless apprehension.
The great mobs now thronging all the principal thorough-
fares in London were already half-famished. Food
was daily rising in price, and the East End was already
starving. Bands of lawless men and women from the
slums of Whitechapel were parading the West End
streets and squares, and were camping out in Hyde
Park and St. James's Park.

The days were stifling, for it was an unusually hot
September following upon a blazing August, and as each
breathless evening the sun sank, it shed its blood-red
afterglow over the giant metropolis, grimly precursory
of the ruin so surely imminent.

Supplies were still reaching London from the country,
but there had been immediate panic in the corn and
provision markets, with the result that prices had
instantly jumped up beyond the means of the average
Londoner. The poorer ones were eagerly collecting
the refuse in Covent Garden Market and boiling it down
to make soup in lieu of anything else, while wise fathers
of families went to the shops themselves and made
meagre purchases daily of just sufficient food to keep
body and soul together.

For the present there was no fear of London being
absolutely starved, at least the middle class and wealthier
portion of it. At present it was the poor — the toiling
millions now unemployed — who were the first to feel the
pinch of hunger and its consequent despair. They
filled the main arteries of London — Holborn, Oxford
Street, the Strand, Regent Street, Piccadilly, the
Haymarket, St. James's Street, Park Lane, Victoria
Street, and Knightsbridge, overflowing northward
into Grosvenor, Berkeley, Portman, and Cavendish
Squares, Portland Place, and to the terraces around
Regent's Park. The centre of London became con-
gested. Day and night it was the same. There was no

212 THE INVASION OF 1910

sleep. From across the river and from the East End
the famished poor came in their bewildering thousands,
the majority of them honest workers, indignant that by
the foolish policy of the Government they now found
themselves breadless.

Before the Houses of Parliament, before the fine
new War Office, and the Admiralty, before Downing
Street, and before the houses of known members of
the Government, constant demonstrations were being
made, the hungry crowds groaning at the authorities,
and singing " God save the King." Though starving
and in despair, they were nevertheless loyal, still con-
fident that by the personal effort of His Majesty some
amicable settlement would be arrived at. The French
entente cordiale was remembered, and our Sovereign
had long ago been declared to be the first diplomat in
Europe. Every Londoner believed in him, and loved
him.

Many houses of the wealthy, especially those of
foreigners, had their windows broken. In Park Lane,
in Piccadilly, and in Grosvenor Square, more particularly,
the houses seemed to excite the ire of the crowds, who,
notwithstanding special constables having been sworn
in, were now quite beyond the control of the police. The
German Ambassador had presented his letters of recall
on Sunday evening, and together with the whole staff
had been accorded a safe conduct to Dover, whence
they had left for the Continent. The Embassy in Carlton
House Terrace, and also the Consulate - General in
Finsbury Square, had, however, suffered severely at
the hands of the angry crowd, notwithstanding that
both premises were under police protection.

All the German waiters employed at the Cecil, the
Savoy, the Carlton, the Metropole, the Victoria, the
Grand, and the other big London hotels, had already
fled for their lives out into the country, anywhere from
the vengeance of the London mob. Hundreds of them
were trying to make their way within the German lines
in Essex and Suffolk, and it was believed that many

DEFENCE AT LAST

213

had succeeded — those, most probably, who had previ-
ously acted as spies. Others, it was reported, had been
set upon by the excited populace, and more than one
had lost his life.

Pandemonium reigned in London. Every class and
every person in every walk of life was affected. German
interests were being looked after by the Russian
Ambassador, and this very fact caused a serious demon-
stration before Chesham House, the big mansion where
lives the representative of the Czar. Audacious spies
had, in secret, in the night actually posted copies of
Von Kronhelm's proclamation upon the Griffin at
Temple Bar, upon the Marble Arch, and upon the Mansion
House. But these had been quickly torn down, and if
the hand that had placed them there had been known,
it would certainly have meant death to the one who
had thus insulted the citizens of London.

Yet the truth was, alas ! too plain. Spread out
across Essex and Suffolk, making leisurely preparations
and laughing at our futile defence, lay over one hundred
thousand well-equipped, well-fed Germans, ready, when
their plans were completed, to advance upon and crush
the complex city which is the pride and home of every
Englishman — London .

On Friday night an official communication from the
War Office was issued to the Press, showing the exact
position of the invaders. It was roughly this : —

"The IXth German Corps, which had effected a landing
at Lowestoft, had, after moving along the most easterly
route, including the road through Saxmundham and
Ipswich, at length arrived at a position where their
infantry outposts had occupied the higher slopes of the
rising ground overlooking the river Stour, near
Manningtree, which town, as well as Ipswich, was held
by them.

" The left flank of this corps rested on the river Stour
itself, so that it was secure from any turning movement.

214 THE INVASION OF 1910

Its front was opposed to and directly threatened
Colchester, while its outposts, to say nothing of its
independent cavalry, reached out in a northerly direction
towards Stowmarket, where they joined hands with the
left flank of the Xth Corps — those under Von Wilburg,
who had landed at Yarmouth — whose headquarters
were new at Bury St. Edmund's, their outposts being
disposed south, overlooking the valley of the upper
reaches of the Stour."

Nor was this all. From Newmarket there came
information that the enemy who had landed at Wey-
bourne and Cromer — viz., the IVth Corps under Von
Kleppen — were now encamping on the racecourse
and being billeted in the town and villages about, in-
cluding Exning, Ashley, Moulton, and Kentford.
Frolich's cavalry brigade had penetrated South, covering
the advance, and had now scoured the country, sweeping
away the futile resistance of the British Yeomanry, and
scattering cavalry squadrons which they found opposed
to them, all the time maintaining communication with
the Xth Corps on their left, and the flower of the German
Army, the Guards Corps, from King's Lynn, on their
right. Throughout the advance from Holt, Von
Dorndorf's motorists had been of the greatest utility.
They had taken constantly companies of infantry hither
and thither. At any threatened point, so soon as the
sound of firing was heard in any cavalry skirmish or
little engagement of outposts, the smart motor infantry
were on the spot with the promptness of a fire brigade
proceeding to a call. For this reason the field artillery,
who were largely armed with quick-firing guns, capable
of pouring in a hail of shrapnel on any exposed point,
were enabled to push on much farther than would have
been otherwise possible. They were always adequately
supported by a sufficient escort of these up-to-date
troops, who, although infantry, moved with greater
rapidity than cavalry itself, and who, moreover, brought
with them their Maxims, which dealt havoc far and near.

The magnificent troops of the Duke of Mannheim

DEFENCE AT LAST

215

in their service uniforms, who had landed at King's
Lynn, had come across the wide, level roads, some by
way of Downham Market, Littleport, and Ely, and
arrived at Cambridge. The 2nd Division, under
Lieutenant-General von Kasten, protecting the exposed
flanks, had marched via Wisbech, March, Chatteris,
and St. Ives, while the masses of the cavalry of the
Guard, including the famous White Cuirassiers, had
been acting independently around the flat fen country,
Spalding and Peterborough, and away to quaint old
Huntingdon, striking terror into the inhabitants, and
effectively checking any possible offensive movement
of the British that might have been directed upon the
great German Army during its ruthless advance.

Beyond this, worse remained. It was known that the
Vllth Corps, under Von Bristram, had landed at Goole,
and that General Graf Haeseler had landed at Hull,
New Holland, and Grimsby. This revealed what the
real strategy of the Generalissimo had been. Their
function seemed twofold. First and foremost their
presence, as a glance at the map will show, effectually
prevented any attack from the British troops gathered
from the north and elsewhere, and who were, as shown,
concentrated near Sheffield and Birmingham, until
these two corps had themelves been attacked and re-
pulsed, which we were, alas ! utterly unable to
accomplish.

These were two fine German army corps, complete
to the proverbial last button, splendidly equipped, well
fed, and led by officers who had had lifelong training,
and were perfectly well acquainted with every mile of
the country they occupied, by reason of years of careful
study given to maps of England. It was now entirely
plain that the function of these two corps was to paralyse
our trade in Yorkshire and Lancashire, to commit havoc
in the big cities, to terrify the people, and to strike a
crushing blow at our industrial centres, leaving the
siege of London to the four other corps now so rapidly
advancing upon the metropolis.

216 THE INVASION OF 1910

Events meanwhile were marching quickly in the
North.

The town of Sheffield throughout Tuesday and
Wednesday was the scene of the greatest activity. Day
and night the streets were filled with an excited populace,
and hour by hour the terror increased.

Every train arriving from the North was crowded
with Volunteers and troops of the line from all stations
in the Northern Command. The ist Battalion West
Riding Regiment had joined the Yorkshire Light
Infantry, who were already stationed in Sheffield, as
had also the 19th Hussars, and from every regimental
district and depot, including Scarborough, Richmond,
Carlisle, Seaforth, Beverley, Halifax, Lancaster, Preston,
Bolton, Warrington, Bury, Ashton-under-Lyne, came
battalions of Militia and Volunteers. From Carlisle
came the Reservists of the Border Regiment, from
Richmond those of the Yorkshire Regiment, from
Newcastle came what was left of the Reservists of the
Durham Light Infantry, and the Northumberland
Fusiliers, from Lancaster the Royal Lancashires, while
field artillery came from Seaforth and Preston, and small
bodies of Reservists of the Liverpool and the South
Lancashire Regiments came from Warrington. Con-
tingents of the East and North Lancashire Regiments
arrived from Preston. The Militia, including battalions
of the Liverpool Regiment, the South Lancashire Regi-
ment, the Lancashire Fusiliers, and other regiments in
the command, were hurried to the scene of action outside
Sheffield. From every big town in the whole of the
North of England and South of Scotland came straggling
units of Volunteers. The mounted troops were almost
entirely Yeomanry, and included the Duke of Lancaster's
Own Imperial Yeomanry, the East Riding of Yorks,
the Lancashire Hussars, Northumberland Yeomanry,
Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry, the Queen's
Own Yorkshire Dragoons, and the York Hussars.

These troops, with their ambulances, their baggage,
and all their impedimenta, created the utmost confusion

DEFENCE AT LAST

217

at both railway stations. The great concourse of
idlers cheered and cheered again, the utmost enthusiasm
being displayed when each battalion forming up was
marched away out of the town to the position chosen
for the defence, which now reached from Woodhouse
on the south, overlooking and commanding the whole
valley of the river Rother, through Catcliffe, Brins-
worth, and Tinsley, previously alluded to, skirting
Greasborough to the high ground north of Went worth,
also commanding the river Don and all approaches
to it through Mexborough, and over the various bridges
which spanned this stream — a total of about eight
miles.

The south flank was thrown back another four
miles to Norton, in an endeavour to prevent the whole
position being turned, should the Germans elect to
deliver their threatened blow from a more southerly
point than was anticipated.

The total line then to be occupied by the defenders
was about twelve miles, and into this front was crowded
the heterogeneous mass of troops of all arms. The
post of honour was at Catcliffe, the dominating key to
the whole position, which was occupied by the sturdy
soldiers of the 1st Battalion West Riding Regiment
and the 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Light Infantry, while
commanding every bridge crossing the rivers which
lay between Sheffield and the invaders were concentrated
the guns of the 7th Brigade Royal Horse Artillerv,
and of the Field Artillery, the 2nd, the 30th, the 37th,
and 38th Brigades, the latter having hurriedly arrived
from Bradford.

All along the crests of these slopes which formed the
defence of Sheffield, rising steeply from the river at
times up to five hundred feet, were assembled the
Volunteers, all now by daybreak on Thursday morning
busily engaged in throwing up shelter-trenches and
making hasty earthwork defences for the guns. The
superintendence of this fforcejhadl merged itself into
that of the Northern Command, which nominally had

218

THE INVASION OF 1910

its headquarters in York, but which had now been
transferred to Sheffield itself, for the best of reasons—
that it was of no value at York, and was badly wanted

farther south. General Sir George Woolmer, who so
distinguished himself in South Africa, had therefore
shifted his headquarters to the Town Hall in Sheffield,
but as soon as he had begun to get the line of defence

DEFENCE AT LAST 219

completed, he, with his staff, moved on to Handsworth,
which was centrally situated.

In the command were to be found roughly twenty -
three battalions of Militia and forty-eight of Volunteers ;
but owing to the supineness and neglect of the Govern-
ment the former regiments now found themselves,
at the moment when wanted, greatly denuded of officers,
and, owing to any lack of encouragement to enlist,
largely depleted in men. As regards the Volunteers,
matters were even worse. During the past five years
as much cold water as possible had been thrown upon
all voluntary and patriotic military endeavour by the
" antimilitant " Cabinets which had so long met at
No. 10 Downing Street. The Volunteers, as a body,
were sick to death of the slights and slurs cast upon
their well-meaning efforts. Their " paper " organisa-
tion, like many other things, remained intact, but
for a long time wholesale resignations of officers and
men had been taking place. Instead, therefore, of a
muster of about twenty-five thousand auxiliaries being
available in this command, as the country would have
anticipated, if the official tabulated statements had
been any guide, it was found that only about fifteen
thousand had responded to the call to arms. And
upon these heroic men, utterly insufficient in point of
numbers, Sheffield had to rely for its defence.

It might reasonably have been anticipated that in
the majority of Volunteer regiments furnished by big
manufacturing towns, a battalion would have consisted
of at least five hundred efficient soldiers ; but owing to
the causes alluded to, in many cases it was found that
from one hundred to two hundred only could " pass the
doctor," after having trained themselves to the use
of arms. The catchword phrase, " Peace, retrenchment,
and reform," so long dinned into the ears of the
electorate by the pro-German Party and by every social-
istic demagogue, had sunk deeply into the minds of the
people. Patriotism had been j eered at, and solemn warn-
ings laughed to scorn, even when uttered by responsible

220 THE INVASION OF 1910

and far-seeing statesmen. Yet the day of awakening
had dawned — a rude awakening indeed !

Away to the eastward of Sheffield — exactly where
was yet unknown — sixty thousand perfectly-equipped
and thoroughly-trained German horse, foot and artillery,
were ready at any moment to advance westward into
our manufacturing districts !

CHAPTER XIV

BRITISH SUCCESS AT ROYSTON

Arrests of alleged spies were reported from Manchester,
Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, and other large
towns. Most of the prisoners were, however, able
to prove themselves naturalised British subjects ;
but several men in Manchester, Birmingham, and
Sheffield were detained pending investigation and
examination of correspondence found at their homes.
In Manchester, where there are always a number of
Germans, it is known that many slipped away on Sunday
night after the publication of the news of the invasion.
Several houses in Eccles and Patricroft, outside Man-
chester, a house in Brown Street in the City itself, one
in Gough Street, Birmingham, and another in Sandon
Place, Sheffield, were all searched, and from the reports
received by Scotland Yard it was believed that certain
important correspondence had been seized, correspond-
ence which had betrayed a widespread system of
German espionage in this country. Details were want-
ing, as the police authorities withheld the truth, for
fear, it was supposed, of increasing the public alarm.
At the house in Sheffield, where lived a young German
who had come to England ostensibly as pupil at one of
the large steelworks, an accumulation of newspaper
cuttings was discovered, together with a quantity of
topographical information concerning the country over
which the enemy was now advancing from Goole.

In most of the larger Midland towns notices had
been issued by the mayors deprecating hostility towards

821

222 THE INVASION OF 1910

residents of foreign origin, and stating that all suspicious
cases were already receiving the attention of the police.

In Stafford the boot factories were idle, and thou-
sands of despairing men were lounging about in Green-
gate, Eastgate, and other thoroughfares. In the
Potteries all work was at a standstill. At Stoke-on-
Trent, at Hanley, at Burslem, Tunstall, and Congleton
all was chaos. Minton's, Copeland's, Doulton's, and
Brown Westhead's were closed, and thousands upon
thousands were already wanting bread. The silk- thread
industry at Leek was ruined, so was the silk industry
at Macclesfield ; the great breweries at Burton were
idle, while the hosiery factories of Leicester and the
boot factories of Northampton were all shut.

With the German troops threatening Sheffield,
Nottingham was in a state of intense alarm. The lace
and hosiery factories had with one accord closed on
Tuesday, and the great Market Place was now rilled
day and night by thousands upon thousands of un-
employed mill-hands of both sexes. On Friday,
however, came the news of how Sheffield had built barri-
cades against the enemy, and there ensued a frantic
attempt at defence on the part of thousands of terrified
and hungry men and women. In their frenzy they
sacked houses in order to obtain material to construct
the barricades, which were, however, built just where
the fancy took the crowd. One was constructed in
Clumber Street, near the Lion Hotel ; another at Lister
Gate ; and a third, a much larger one, in Radford Road.
Near the Carrington Station, on the road to Arnold, a
huge structure soon rose, another at Basford, while the
road in from Carlton and the bridges leading in from
West Bridgford and Wilford were also effectually
blocked.

The white, interminable North Road, that runs
so straight from London through York and Berwick
to Edinburgh, was, with its by-roads in the Midlands,
now being patrolled by British cavalry, and here and
there telegraphists around a telegraph post showed

BRITISH SUCCESS AT ROYSTON 223

that those many wires]at|the roadside were being used
for military communication.

At several points along the road between Wansford
Bridge and Retford the wires had been cut and tangled
by the enemy's agents, but by Friday all had been
restored again. In one spot, between Weston and
Sutton-on-Trent, eight miles south of Newark, a trench
had actually been dug during the night, the tube con-
taining the subterranean telegraph lines discovered,
and the whole system to the North disorganised.
Similar damage had been done by German spies to
the line between London and Birmingham, two miles
south of Shipston-on-Stour, and again the line between
Loughborough and Nottingham had been similarly
destroyed.

The Post Office linesmen had, however, quickly
made good the damage everywhere in the country
not already occupied by the enemy, and telegraph
and telephone communication North and South was
now practically again in its normal state.

Through Lincolnshire the enemy's advance patrols
had spread South over every road between the Humber
and the Wash, and in the city of Lincoln itself a tremen-
dous sensation was caused when on Wednesday, market-
day, several bodies of German motor-cyclists swept
into the Stonebow and dismounted at the Saracen's
Head amid the crowd of farmers and dealers who had
assembled there, not, alas ! to do business, but to
discuss the situation. In a moment the city was
panic-stricken. From mouth to mouth the dread
truth spread that the Germans were upon them, and
people ran indoors and barricaded themselves within
their houses.

A body of Uhlans came galloping proudly through
the Stonebow a quarter of an hour later, and halted
in High Street, opposite Wyatt's clothing shop, as
though awaiting orders. Then in rapid succession
troops seemed to arrive from all quarters, many halting
in the Cathedral Close and by Exchequer Gate, and

224 THE INVASION OF 19X0

others riding through the streets in order to terrify the
inhabitants.

Von Kronhelm's famous proclamation was posted
by German soldiers upon the police station, upon the
Stonebow, and upon the door of the grand old Cathedral
itself, and before noon a German officer accompanied
by his staff called upon the Mayor and warned him
that Lincoln was occupied by the German troops,
and that any armed resistance would be punished by
death, as the Generalissimo's proclamation stated.
An indemnity was demanded, and then the powerless
people saw upon the Cathedral and upon several of
the public buildings the German flag rise and float out
upon the summer wind.

Boston was full of German infantry, and officers
had taken up temporary quarters in the Peacock
and the other hotels in the market-place, while upon
the " stump " the enemy's colours were flying.

No news came from London. People in Norwich,
Ipswich, Yarmouth, and other places heard vaguely
of the invasion in the North, and of fighting in which
the Germans were careful to report that they were
always successful. They saw the magnificently equipped
army of the Kaiser, and, comparing it with our mere
apology for military force, regarded the issue as hope-
less from the very first. In every town the German
colours were displayed, and all kinds of placards in
German and in English made their appearance.

The Daily Mail, on September 10, published the
following despatch from one of its war correspondents,
Mr. Henry Mackenzie : —

" Royston, September g.

" Victory at last. A victory due not only to the
bravery and exertion of our troops, regular and auxiliary,
but also to the genius of Field-Marshal Lord Byfield,
our Commander-in-Chief, ably seconded by the energy

BRITISH SUCCESS AT ROYSTON 225

and resource with which Sir William Packington, in
command of the IVth Army Corps at Baldock, carried
out that part of the programme entrusted to him.

" But though in this success we may hope that we are
seeing the first glimmerings of dawn, — of deliverance
from the nightmare of German invasion that is now
oppressing our dear old England, — we must not be led
into foolishly sanguine hopes. The snake has been
scotched, and pretty badly into the bargain, but he is
far from being killed. The German IVth Army Corps
under the famous General Von Kleppen, their magnificent
Garde Corps commanded by the Duke of Mannheim,
and Frolich's fine Cavalry Division, have been repulsed
in their attack on our positions near Royston and
Saffron Walden, and driven back with great loss and
confusion. But we are too weak to follow up our victory
as it should be followed up.

" The menace of the IXth and Xth Corps on our right
flank ties us to our selected position, and the bulk of our
forces being composed of indifferently trained Volunteers
and Militia, is much more formidable behind entrench-
ments than when attempting to manoeuvre in a difficult
and intricate country such as it is about here. But, on
the other hand, we have given pause to the invaders,
and have certainly gained a few days' time, which will
be invaluable to us.

" We shall be able to get on with the line of fortifica-
tions that are being constructed to bar the approaches to
London, and behind which it will be necessary for us to
make our final stand. I do not conceive that it is
possible for such an agglomeration of amateur troops
as ours are in the main, to defeat in the open field
such formidable and well-trained forces as the Germans
have succeeded in throwing into this country. But
when our Navy has regained command of the sea we
hope that we may, before very long, place our unwelcome
visitors ' between the devil and the deep sea ' — the
part of the devil being played by our brave troops finally
concentrated behind the strong defences of the metropolis.

226 THE INVASION OF 1910

In short, that the Germans may run out of ammunition
and provisions. For if communication with the Father-
land is effectively cut, they must starve, unless they
have previously compelled our submission, for it is impos-
sible for an army of the size that has invaded us to live
on the country.

" No doubt hundreds, nay thousands, of our non-
militant countrymen — and, alas ! women and children —
will starve before the German troops are conquered by
famine, that most terrible of enemies ; but this issue
seems to be the only possible one that will save the
country.

" But enough of these considerations of the future.
It is time that I should relate what I can of the glorious
victory which our gallant defenders have torn from the
enemy. I do not think that I am giving any information
away if I state that the British position lay mainly
between Saffron Walden and Royston, the headquarters
respectively of the Ilnd and Illrd Army Corps. The
IVth Corps was at Baldock, thrown back to cover the left
flank, and protect our communications by the Great
Northern Railway. A detached force, from what com-
mand supplied it is not necessary or advisable to say,
was strongly entrenched on the high ground north-west
of Helions Bumpstead, serving to strengthen our right.
Our main line of defence — very thinly held in some parts
— began a little to the south-east of Saffron Walden,
and ran westwards along a range of high ground through
Elmdon and Chrishall to Hey don. Here it turned south
through Great Chrishall to Little Chrishall, where it
again turned west, and occupied the high range south of
Royston, on which stands the village of Therfield.

" The night before the battle we knew that the greater
portion of the German IVth and Garde Corps were con-
centrated, the former at Newmarket, the ist Division
of the latter at Cambridge, the 2nd on this side of St.
Ives, while Frolich's Cavalry Division had been in con-
stant contact with our outposts the greater part of the
day previous. The Garde Cavalry Brigade was reported

BRITISH SUCCESS AT ROYSTON

227

to be well away to the westward towards Kettering, as
we suppose, on account of the reports which have been
going about of a concentration of Yeomanry and Militia
in the hilly country near Northampton. Our Intelli-
gence Department, which appears to have been very well
served by its spies, obtained early knowledge of the

intention of the Germans to make an attack on our
position. In fact, they talked openly of it, and stated
at Cambridge and Newmarket that they would not
manoeuvre at all, and only hoped that we should hold on
long enough to our position to enable them to smash up
our Ilnd and Illrd Corps by a frontal attack, and so clear
the road to London. The main roads lent themselves

228 THE INVASION OF 1910

admirably to such strategy, which rendered the reports
of their intentions the more probable, for they all
converged on our position from their main points of
concentration.

" The letter ' W 1 will exactly serve to show the
positions of the contending forces. St. Ives is at the
top of the first stroke, Cambridge at the junction of the
two shorter centre ones, Newmarket at the top of the
last stroke, while the British positions at Royston and
Saffron Walden are at the junctions of all four strokes
at the bottom of the letter. The strokes also represent
the roads, except that from Cambridge three good roads
lead towards each of the British positions. The
prisoners taken from the Germans in the various pre-
liminary skirmishes also made no bones of boasting that
a direct attack was imminent, and our Commander-in-
Chief eventually, and rightly as it proved, determined
to take the risk of all this information having been
specially promulgated by the German Staff to cover
totally different intentions, as was indeed quite probable,
and to accept it as true. Having made up his mind, he
lost no time in taking action. He ordered the IVth Corps
under Sir William Packington to move on Potton, twelve
miles to the north-west, as soon as it was dark. As
many cavalry and mounted infantry as could possibly
be spared from Royston were placed at his disposal.

" It ought to be stated that while the auxiliary troops
had been busily employed ever since their arrival in
entrenching the British position, the greater part of the
regular troops had been occupying an advanced line two
or three miles to the northward on the lower spurs of the
hills, and every possible indication of a determination
to hold this as long as possible was afforded to the
German reconnoitrers. During the night these troops
fell back to the position which had been prepared, the
outposts following just before daylight. About 6 a.m.
the enemy were reported to be advancing in force
along the Icknield Way from Newmarket, and also by
the roads running on either bank of the river Cam.

BRITISH SUCCESS AT ROYSTON 229

Twenty minutes later considerable bodies of German
troops were reported at Fowlmere and Melbourn on the
two parallel Royston-Cambridge roads. They must
have followed very close on the heels of our retiring
outposts. It was a very misty morning, — down in the
low ground over which the enemy were advancing
especially so, — but about seven a gust of wind from the
westward dispelled the white fog-wreaths that hung
about our left front and enabled our look-outs to get a
glimpse along the famous Ermine Street, which runs
straight as an arrow from Royston for twenty or thirty
miles to the N.N.W.

" Along this ancient Roman way, far as the eye could
reach, poured a steady stream of marching men, horse,
foot, and artillery. The wind dropped, the mists
gathered again, and once more enveloped the invaders
in an impenetrable screen. But by this time the whole
British line was on the qui vive. Regulars, Militia,
and Volunteers were marching down to their chin-deep
trenches, while those who were already there busied
themselves in improving their loopholes and strengthen-
ing their head cover. Behind the ridges of the hills
the gunners stood grouped about their ' Long Toms '
and heavy howitzers, while the field batteries waited,
ready horsed, for orders to gallop under cover of the
ridge to whichever set of emplacements should first require
to be manned and armed. We had not enough to dis-
tribute before the movements of the enemy should, to
a certain extent, show his hand.

? "About seven o'clock a series of crackling reports
from the outskirts of Royston announced that the
detachment of Mounted Infantry, who now alone held
it, was exchanging shots with the advancing enemy,
and in a few minutes, as the morning mistiness cleared
off, the General and his staff, who were established
at the northern edge of the village of Therfleld, three or
four hundred feet higher up than the German skirmishers,
were able to see the opening of the battle spread like a
panorama before them. A thick firing line of drab-

230

THE INVASION OF 1910

costumed Germans extended right across from Holland
Hall to the Coach and Horses on the Fowlmere Road.
On their left moved two or three compact masses of
cavalry, while the infantry reserves were easily appa-
rent in front of the village of Melbourn. Our Mounted
Infantry in the village were indistinguishable, but away
on the spur to the north-east of Royston a couple of
batteries of Horse Artillery were unlimbered and were
pushing their guns up to the brow of the hill by hand.
In two minutes they were in action, and hard at work.

"Through the glasses the shrapnel could be seen
bursting, half a dozen together, in front of the advancing
Germans, who began to fall fast. But almost at once
came an overwhelming reply from somewhere out of
sight behind Melbourn. The whole hilltop around our
guns was like a spouting volcano. Evidently big high-
explosive shells were being fired from the German field-
howitzers. In accordance with previous orders, our
horse-gunners at once ran down their guns, limbered
up, and started to gallop back towards our main position.
Simultaneously a mass of German cavalry deployed into
attack formation near the Coach and Horses, and
swept down in their direction with the evident intention
of cutting off and capturing them. But they reckoned
without their escort of Mounted Infantry, who had been
lying low behind the long, narrow line of copse north of
Lowerfield Farm. Safely ensconced behind this — to
cavalry — impassable barrier, the company, all good
shots, opened a terrible magazine fire on the charging
squadrons as they passed at close range. A Maxim
they had with them also swept horses and men away
in swathes. The charge was checked, and the guns
saved, but we had not finished with the German reiters.
Away to the north-east a battery of our 4.7 guns opened
on the disorganised cavalry, firing at a range of four
thousand yards. Their big shells turned the momentary
check into a rout, both the attacking cavalry and their
supports galloping towards Fowlmere to get out of
range. We had scored the first trick !

BRITISH SUCCESS AT ROYSTON 231

" The attacking lines of German Infantry still pressed
on, however, and after a final discharge the Mounted
Infantry in Royston sprang on their horses and galloped
back over Whitely Hill, leaving the town to be occupied
by the enemy. To the eastward the thunder of heavy
cannon, gradually growing in intensity, proclaimed
that the Ilnd Corps was heavily attacked. Covered
by a long strip of plantation, the German IVth Corps
contrived to mass an enormous number of guns on a
hill about two miles north of the village of Elmdon,
and a terrific artillery duel began between them and
our artillery entrenched along the Elmdon-Heydon
ridge. Under cover of this the enemy began to work
his infantry up towards Elmdon, obtaining a certain
amount of shelter from the spurs which ran out towards
the north-east of our line. Other German troops with
guns put in an appearance on the high ground to the
north-east of Saffron Walden, near Chesterton Park.

"To describe the fortunes of this fiercely-contested
battle, which spread along a front of nearly twenty
miles, counting from the detached garrison of the hill
at Helions Bumpstead — which, by the way, succeeded
in holding its ground all day, despite two or three most
determined assaults by the enemy — to Kelshall on the
left of the British position, would be an impossibility
in the space at my disposal. The whole morning it
raged all along the northern slopes of the upland held
by our gallant troops. The fiercest fighting was,
perhaps, in the neighbourhood of Elmdon, where our
trenches were more than once captured by the Magdeburg
battalions, only to be themselves hurled out again by
the rush of the 1st Coldstream Guards, who had been
held in reserve near the threatened point. By noon
the magnificent old palace at Audley End was in flames.
Art treasures which were of inestimable value and
absolutely unreplaceable perished in this shocking
conflagration. Desperate fighting was going on in
the streets of the little town of Saffron Walden, where
a mingled mass of Volunteers and Militia strove hard

232 THE INVASION OF 1910

to arrest the advance of a portion of the German Army
which was endeavouring to work round the right of our
position.

" On our left the Foot Guards and Fusiliers of the
ist German Guard Division, after receiving a terrible
pounding from our guns when they poured into Royston

BATTLE of ROYSTON

SUNDAY SEPT. 9™

at the heels of our Mounted Infantry, had fought their
way up the heights to within fifteen hundred yards of
our trenches on the upper slopes of the ridge. Farther
than that they had been unable to advance. Their
close formations offered an excellent target to the rifles
of the Volunteers and Militia lining our entrenchments.
The attackers had lost men in thousands, and were

BRITISH SUCCESS AT ROYSTON 233

now endeavouring to dig themselves in as best they
could under the hail of projectiles that continually
swept the hillside. About noon, too, the 2nd Division
of the Garde Corps, after some skirmishing with the
Mounted Infantry away on our left front, got into
attack formation along the line of the Hitchin and
Cambridge Railway, and after pouring a deluge of
projectiles from field guns and howitzers upon our
position, advanced upon Therfield with the greatest
bravery and determination. They had succeeded by
2 p.m. in driving our men from the end of the spur
running northward near Therfield Heath, and managed
to get a number of their howitzers up there, and at once
opened fire from the cover afforded by several copses
out of which our men had been driven.

" In short, things were beginning to look very bad
for old England, and the watchers on the Therfield
heights turned their glasses anxiously northward in
search of General Sir William Packington's force from
Potton. They had not long to wait. At 2.15 the
winking flash of a heliograph away near Wendy Place,
about eight miles up Ermine Street, announced that the
advance guard, consisting of the 1st Royal Welsh
Fusiliers, was already at Bassingbourn, and that the
main body was close behind, having escaped detection
by all the enemy's patrols and flank guards. They
were now directly in the rear of the right of the German
reserves, who had been pushed forward into the neigh-
bourhood of Royston to support the attack of their
main body on the British position. A few minutes
later it was evident that the enemy had also become
aware of their advent. Two or three regiments
hurriedly issued from Royston and deployed to the
north-west. But the guns of the Baldock Corps turned
such a ' rafale ' fire upon them that they hesitated
and were lost.

" Every long-range gun in the British entrenchments
that would bear was also turned upon them, leaving
the infantry and field guns to deal with the troops

234 THE INVASION OF 1910

assaulting their position. The three battalions, as well
as a fourth that was sent to their assistance, were simply-
swept out of existence by this terrible cross-fire. Their
remnants streamed away, a disorganised crowd of
scattered stragglers, towards Melbourn ; while, still
holding on to Bassingbourn, the Baldock force moved
down on Royston, driving everything before it.

"The most advanced German troops made a final
effort to capture our position when they saw what was
going on behind them, but it was half-hearted ; they
were brought to a standstill, and our men, fixing bayonets,
sprang from their trenches and charged down upon them
with cheers, which were taken up all along the line for
miles. The Germans here and there made a partial
stand, but in half an hour they were down on the low
ground, falling back towards the north-east in the
greatest confusion, losing men in thousands from the
converging fire of our guns. Their cavalry made a
gallant attempt to save the day by charging our troops
to the north of Royston. It was a magnificent sight
to see their enormous masses sweeping over the ground
with an impetus which looked capable of carrying
everything before it, but our men, clustering behind
the hedges of Ermine Street, mowed them down
squadrons at a time. Not one of them reached the
roadway. The magnificent Garde Corps was routed.

"The combined Illrd and IVth Corps now advanced
on the exposed right flank of the German IVth Corps,
which, fighting gallantly, fell back, doing its best to
cover the retreat of its comrades, who, on their part,
very much hampered its movements. By nightfall
there was no unwounded German south of Whittlesford,
except as a prisoner. By this time, too, we were falling
back on our original position."

CHAPTER XV

BRITISH ABANDON COLCHESTER

On Tuesday, ioth September, the Tribune published
the following telegram from its war correspondent,
Mr. Edgar Hamilton : —

" Chelmsford, Monday, September 9.

"I sit down, after a sleepless night, to indite the
account of our latest move. We hear that Sheffield has
fallen, and our troops are in flight. As, by the time
this appears in print, the enemy will of necessity be
aware of our abandonment of Colchester, the censor will
not, I imagine, prevent the despatch of my letter.

" For our move has been one of a retrograde nature,
and I do not doubt that the cavalry of the German
IXth Corps are close behind us and in touch with our
own. But I must not, in using the word ' retrograde,'
be supposed to criticise in any way the strategy of our
generals. For everyone here is, I am sure, fully per-
suaded of the wisdom of the step. Colchester, with its
plucky little garrison, was altogether too much ' in the
air,' and stood a great risk of being isolated by a con-
verging advance of the IXth and Xth Corps of the
German invaders, to say nothing of the Xllth (Saxon)
Corps at Maldon, which since the unfortunate battle of
Purleigh has shown itself very active to the north and
east.

" The Saxons have refrained from attacking our
Vth Corps since its repulse, and it has been left almost
in peace to entrench its position from Danbury to the

23s

236 THE INVASION OF 1910

southward ; but, on the other hand, while not neglecting
to further strengthen their already formidable defences
between the Blackwater and the Crouch, their cavalry
have scoured the country up to the very gates of Col-
chester. Yesterday morning the 16th Lancers and the
17th Hussars — who had fallen back from Norwich —
together with some of the local Yeomanry, moved out
by the Tolleshunt d'Arcy and Great Totham roads,
and drove in their patrols with some loss. At Tiptree
Heath there was a sharp cavalry engagement between
our red Lancers and several squadrons of a sky-blue
hussar regiment. Our people routed them, but in
the pursuit that followed would have fared badly,
as they fell in with the four remaining squadrons sup-
ported by another complete regiment, had it not been
for the opportune arrival of the Household Cavalry
Brigade, which had moved north-east from Danbury
to co-operate. This completely changed the aspect
of affairs. The Germans were soundly beaten, with
the loss of a large number of prisoners, and galloped
back to Maldon in confusion. In the meantime the
2nd King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment and the
5th Battery R.F. Artillery had been sent down to
Witham by train, whence they marched up to the
high ground near Wickham Bishops. They and the
Yeomanry were left there in a position to cover the
main London road and the Great Eastern Railway,
and at the same time threaten any movement of the
enemy by the Great Totham road. When the news
of our success reached Colchester soon after midday,
we were all very jubilant. In fact, I fear that a great
many people spent the afternoon in a species of fool's
paradise. And when towards the evening the announce-
ment of our splendid victory at Royston was posted
up on the red walls of the fine town hall, and outside
the Cups, there was an incipient outbreak of that
un-English excitement known as ' Mafficking.' Gangs
of youths paraded the High Street, Head Street, and
the principal thoroughfares, shouting, yelling, and

BRITISH ABANDON COLCHESTER 237

hustling passers-by, and even respectable members
of society seemed bitten by the desire to throw up
their hats and make idiots of themselves.

" The hotels, the Lamb, the Red Lion, and other
places, did a roaring trade, and altogether the town
was more or less demoralised. But all this exultation
was fated to be but short-lived, even though the Mayor
appeared on the balcony of the town hall and addressed
the crowd, while the latest news was posted outside
the offices of the Essex Telegraph, opposite the post-
office. The wind was in the north, and about 5.45 in
the afternoon the sound of a heavy explosion was
heard from the direction of Manningtree. I was in
the Cups Hotel at the time arranging for an early
dinner, and ran out into the street. As I emerged
from the archway of the hotel I distinctly heard a
second detonation from the same direction. A sudden
silence, ominous and unnatural, seemed to fall on
the yelping jingoes in the street, in the midst of which
the rumble of yet another explosion rolled down on
the wind, this time from a more westerly direction.
Men asked their neighbours breathlessly as to what
all this portended. I myself knew no more than the
most ignorant of the crowd, till in an officer who rushed
hastily by me in Head Street, on his way into the hotel,
I recognised my friend Captain Burton, of the Artillery.

" I buttonholed him at once.

" ' Do I know what those explosions were ? ' repeated
he in answer to my inquiry. ' Well, I don't know,
but I'm open to bet you five to one that it's the sappers
blowing up the bridges over the Stour at Manningtree
and Stratford St. Mary.'

" ' Then the Germans will have arrived there ? ' I
queried.

" ' Most probably. And look here,' he continued,
taking me aside by the arm, and lowering his voice,
' you take my tip. We shall be out of this to-night.
So you'd best pack up your traps and get into marching
order.'

238 THE INVASION OF 1910

"'Do you know this ? ' said I.

" ' Not officially, or I shouldn't tell you anything
about it. But I can put two and two together. We
all knew that the General wouldn't be fool enough
to try and defend an open town of this size with such
a small garrison against a whole army corps, or perhaps
more. It would serve no good purpose, and expose
the place to destruction and bring all sorts of disaster
on the civil population. You could have seen that
for yourself, for no attempt whatever has been made
to erect defences of any kind, neither have we received
any reinforcements at all. If they had meant to defend
it they would certainly have contrived to send us some
Volunteers and guns at any rate. No, the few troops
we have here have done their best in assisting the
Danbury Force against the Saxons, and are much too
valuable to be left here to be cut off without being
able to do much to check the advance of the enemy.
If we had been going to try anything of that kind,
we should have now been holding the line of the river
Stour ; but I know we have only small detachments
at the various bridges, sufficient only to drive off the
enemy's cavalry patrols. By now, having blown up
the bridges, I expect they are falling back as fast as
they can get. Besides, look here,' he added, ' what
do you think that battalion was sent to Wickham
Bishops for this morning ? '

" I told him my theories as set forth above.

" ' Oh yes, that's all right,' he answered. ' But
you may bet your boots that there's more in it than
that. In my opinion, the General has had orders
to clear out as soon as the enemy are preparing to
cross the Stour, and the Lancasters are planted there
to protect our left flank from an attack from Maldon
while we are retreating on Chelmsford.'

" 8 But we might fall back on Braintree ? ' I hazarded.

" ' Don't you believe it. We're not wanted there —
at least, I mean, not so much as elsewhere. Where
we shall come in is to help to fill the gap between Brain-

BRITISH ABANDON COLCHESTER 239

tree and Danbury. I think, myself, we might just
as well have done it before. We have been sending
back stores by rail for the last two days. Well, good-
bye,' he said, holding out his hand. ' Keep all this
to yourself, and mark my words, we'll be off at dusk.'

" Away he went, and convinced that his prognostica-
tions were correct — as, indeed, in the main they proved —
I hastened to eat my dinner, pay my bill, and get my
portmanteau packed and stowed away in my motor.
As soon as the evening began to close in I started and
made for the barracks, going easy. The streets were
still full of people, but they were very quiet, and mostly
talking together in scattered groups. A shadow seemed
to have fallen on the jubilant crowd of the afternoon,
though, as far as I could ascertain, there were no definite
rumours of the departure of the troops and the close
advent of the enemy. Turning out of the main street,
I had a very narrow escape of running over a drunken
man. Indeed, I regret to say that there were a good
many intoxicated people about, who had celebrated
the day's victory ' not wisely but too well.'

"When I arrived at the barracks, I saw at once
that there was something in the wind, for there was
a great coming and going of orderlies ; all the men
I could see were in marching order, and the Volunteers,
who had been encamped on the drill-ground since the
outbreak of hostilities, were falling in, surrounded
by an agitated crowd of their relations and friends. I
pulled up alongside the barrack railings, and deter-
mined to watch the progress of events. I had not
long to wait. In about ten minutes a bugle sounded,
and the scattered assemblage of men on the barrack-
square closed together and solidified into a series of
quarter columns. At the same time, the Volunteer
battalion moved across from the other side of the road
and joined the Regular troops. I heard a sharp clatter
and jingling behind me, and looking round, saw the
General and his staff with a squad of cavalry canter
up the road. They turned into the barrack gate,

240 THE INVASION OF 1910

greeted by a sharp word of command and the rattle
of arms from the assembled battalions. As far as I
could make out, the General made them some kind of
address, after which I heard another word of command,
upon which the regiment nearest to the gate formed
fours and marched out.

" It was the 2nd Dorsetshire. I watched anxiously
to see which way they turned. As I more than expected,
they turned in the direction of the London road. My
friend had been right so far, but till the troops arrived
at Mark's Tey, where the road forked, I could not be
certain whether they were going towards Braintreeor
Chelmsford. The Volunteers followed; then the Leicester-
shires, then a long train of artillery, field batteries, big
4.7 guns, and howitzers. The King's Own Scottish
Borderers formed the rearguard. With them marched
the General and his staff. I saw no cavalry. I dis-
covered afterwards that the General, foreseeing that a
retirement was imminent, had ordered the 16th Lancers
and the 7th Hussars, after their successful morning
performance, to remain till further orders at Kelvedon
and Tiptree respectively, so that their horses were
resting during the afternoon.

" During the night march the former came back and
formed a screen behind the retiring column, while the
latter were in a position to observe and check any
movement northwards that might be made by the
Saxons, at the same time protecting its flank and rear
from a possible advance by the cavalry of Von Kron-
helm's Army, should they succeed in crossing the river
Stour soon enough to be able to press after us in pursuit
by either of the two eastern roads leading from Colchester
to Maldon. After the last of the departing soldiers had
tramped away into the gathering darkness through the
mud, which after yesterday's downpour still lay thick
upon the roads, I bethought me that I might as well run
down to the railway station to see if anything was going
on there. I was just in time.

"The electric lights disclosed a bustling scene as the

BRITISH ABANDON COLCHESTER 241

last of the ammunition and a certain proportion of stores
were being hurried into a long train that stood with
steam up ready to be off. The police allowed none of
the general public to enter the station, but my corre-
spondent's pass obtained me admission to the departure
platform. There I saw several detachments of the
Royal Engineers, the Mounted Infantry — minus their
horses, which had been already sent on — and some of
the Leicestershire Regiment. Many of the men had
their arms, legs, or heads bandaged, and bore evident
traces of having been in action. I got into conversation
with a colour-sergeant of the Engineers, and learned
these were the detachments who had been stationed
at the bridges over the Stour. It appears that there
was some sharp skirmishing with the German advanced
troops before the officers in command had decided that
they were in sufficient force to justify them in blowing
up the bridges. In fact, at the one at which my inform-
ant was stationed, and that the most important one
of all, over which the main road from Ipswich passed
at Stratford St. Mary, the officer in charge delayed just
too long, so that a party of the enemy's cavalry actually
secured the bridge, and succeeded in cutting the wires
leading to the charges which had been placed in readi-
ness to blow it up. Luckily, the various detachments
present rose like one man to the occasion, and despite
a heavy fire, hurled themselves upon the intruders with
the bayonet with such determination and impetus that
the bridge was swept clear in a moment. The wires
were reconnected, and the bridge cleared of our men
just as the Germans, reinforced by several of their sup-
porting squadrons, who had come up at a gallop, dashed
upon it in pursuit. The firing key was pressed at this
critical moment, and, with a stunning report, a whole
troop was blown into the air, the remaining horses, mad
with fright, stampeding despite all that their riders
could do. The road was cut, and the German advance
temporarily checked, while the British detachment
made off as fast as it could for Colchester.
16

NOTICE.

CONCERNING WOUNDED BRITISH SOLDIERS.

In compliance with an order of the Commander-in-Chief of the
German Imperial Army, the Governor-General of East Anglia decrees
as follows : —

(1) Every inhabitant of the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex,
Cambridge, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester,
Northampton, Rutland, Huntingdon, and Hertford, who gives asylum
to or lodges one or more ill or wounded British soldier, is obliged to
make a declaration to the mayor of the town or to the local police
within 24 hours, stating name, grade, place of birth, and nature of
illness or injury.

Every change of domicile of the wounded is also to be notified
within 24 hours.

In absence of masters, servants are ordered to make the necessary
declarations.

The same order applies to the directors of hospitals, surgeries, or
ambulance stations, who receive the British wounded within our
jurisdiction.

(2) All mayors are ordered to prepare lists of the British wounded,
showing the number, with their names, grade, and place of birth in
each district.

(3) The mayor, or the superintendent of police, must send on the
1st and 15th of each month a copy of his lists to the headquarters of
the Commander-in-Chief. The first list must be sent on the 15th
September.

(4) Any person failing to comply with this order will, in addition to
being placed under arrest for harbouring British troops, be fined a sum
not exceeding £20.

(5) This decree is to be published in all towns and villages in the
Province of East Anglia.

Count VON SCHONBURG=WALDENBURG,
Lieutenant-General,
Governor of German East Anglia.

Ipswich, September 6, 1910.

COPY OF ONE OF THE ENEMY'S PROCLAMATIONS.

242

BRITISH ABANDON COLCHESTER 243

" I asked the sergeant how long he thought it would
be before the Germans succeeded in crossing it. ' Bless
you, sir, I expect they're over by now,' he answered.
' They would be sure to have their bridging companies
somewhere close up, and it would not take them more
than an hour or two to throw a bridge over that place.'
The bridges at Boxted Mill and Nayland had been
destroyed previously.

" The railway bridge and the other one at Manning-
tree were blown up before the Germans could get a
footing, and their defenders had come in by rail. But
my conversation was cut short, the whistle sounded,
the men were hustled on board the train, and it moved
slowly out of the station. As for me, I hurried out to
my car. As I came out I noticed that it had begun to
rain. However, I was fully equipped for it, and, except
for the chance of skidding and the splashing of the flying
mud, did not mind it. But I could not help thinking
of the poor soldiers trudging along on their night march
over the weary miles that lay before them. I deter-
mined to follow in their steps, and putting on speed, was
soon clear of the town, and spinning along for Mark's
Tey. It is about five miles, and shortly before I got
there I overtook the marching column. The men were
halted, and in the act of putting on their greatcoats. I
was stopped here by the rearguard, who took charge
of me, and would not let me proceed until permission
was obtained from the General.

" Eventually this officer ordered me to be brought
to him. I presented my pass ; but he said, ' I am afraid
that I shall have to ask you either to turn back, or to
slow down and keep pace with us. In fact, you had
better do the latter. I might, indeed, have to exercise
my powers and impress your motor, should the exigencies
of the Service require it.' I saw that it was best to
make a virtue of necessity, and replied that it was very
much at his service, and that I was very well content
to accompany the column. In point of fact, the latter
was strictly true, for I wanted to see what was to be

244 THE INVASION OF 1910

seen, and there were no points about going along with
no definite idea of where I wanted to get to, with a
possible chance of falling into the hands of the Saxons
into the bargain. So a Staff officer, who was suffering
from a slight wound, was placed alongside me, and the
column, having muffled itself in its greatcoats, once
more began to plug along through the thickening mire.
My position was just in front of the guns, which kept
up a monotonous rumble behind me. My companion
was talkative, and afforded me a good deal of incidental
and welcome information. Thus, just after we started,
and were turning to the left at Mark's Tey, a bright glare
followed by a loudish report came from the right of
the road. ' What's that ? ' I naturally ejaculated. ' Oh,
that will be the sappers destroying the junction with
the Sudbury line,' he replied. ' There's the train
waiting for them just beyond.'

" So it was. The train that I had seen leaving had
evidently stopped after passing the junction, while the
line was broken behind it. ' They will do the same
after passing the cross line at Witham,' volunteered he.

" A mile or two farther on we passed between two lines
of horsemen, their faces set northwards, and muffled to
the eyes in their long cloaks, ' That's some of the 16th,'
he said, ' going to cover our rear.'

"So we moved on all night through the darkness and
rain. The slow, endless progress of the long column
of men and horses seemed like a nightmare. We passed
through the long street of Kelvedon, scaring the inhabit-
ants, who rushed to their windows to see what was
happening, and with the first glimmer of dawn halted
at Witham. We had about nine miles still to go to
reach Chelmsford, which I learned was our immediate
destination, and it was decided to rest here for an hour,
while the men made the best breakfast they could from
the contents of their haversacks. But the villagers
brought out hot tea and coffee, and did the best they
could for us, so we did not fare so badly after all. As for
me, I got permission to go on, taking with me my friend

BRITISH ABANDON COLCHESTER 245

the Staff officer, who had despatches to forward from
Chelmsford. I pushed on at full speed. We were
there in a very short space of time, and during the
morning I learned that the Braintree Army was falling
back on Dunmow, and that the Colchester garrison was
to assist in holding the line of the river Chelmer."

Another despatch from Mr. Edgar Hamilton, of the
Tribune, was published in that journal on Friday, the
14th September : —

" Brentwood, Thursday, September 13, 1910.

" The events of the last three days have been so
tremendous, so involved, and so disastrous to us as a
nation, that I hardly know how to deal with them. It
is no news now that we have again been beaten, and
beaten badly. The whole right of our line of defence
has been driven back in disorder, and we are now practi-
cally at the ' last ditch.' The remnants of that fine
force which has, up to now, not only been able to hold
the Saxon Army in check, but even to be within an
ace of beating it at the memorable battle of Purleigh,
less than a week ago, is now occupying the entrenchments
which have been under construction ever since the
landing of the Germans, and which form a section of
the works that have been planned for the defence of
the metropolis.

" Here, too, are portions of the Braintree Army
Corps and some of the troops lately constituting the
garrison of Colchester, whom I accompanied on their
night march out of that city when it had been decided
to abandon it. We have only the vaguest rumours
as to what has happened to the other portion of the 1st
Army Corps that was occupying Dunmow and the upper
part of the river Chelmer. We can only hope that
these troops, or at any rate a considerable portion of
them, have been able to gain the shelter of the defensive
enceinte to the north-westward. It is to be feared

246 THE INVASION OF 1910

this reverse will necessitate the retreat of the Second,
Third, and Fourth Armies from Saffron Walden, Royston,
and Baldock, that position which they so gallantly
defended against the flower of the German Army,
emerging victorious from the glorious battle of Royston.
For to stay where they are, in the face of the combined
forward movement of the IXth, Xth, and Xllth Corps
of the invaders, and the rumoured resumption of the
offensive by the two corps defeated before Royston,
would be to court being outflanked and cut off from
the rest of our forces at a time when every single
soldier is urgently required to man the northern portion
of the defences of London.

" But to return to the relation of our latest and most
disastrous defeat, which I must preface by saying that
my readers must not be deceived by the words ' Army
Corps ' as applied to the various assemblages of our
troops. As a matter of fact, ' Divisions,' or even
' Brigades,' would be nearer the mark. The ' Army
Corps ' at Braintree had only four, or perhaps later
six, regular infantry regiments, with a very small force
of cavalry and not too many guns. Compare that with
the Xth German Army Corps under General von Wil-
berg, which was more immediately opposed to it. This
formidable fighting unit may be taken as a representative
one, observing that the Garde Corps is yet stronger.
Von Wilberg's Corps is a Hanoverian one, and comprises
no less than twenty-three battalions of infantry, four
regiments of cavalry, twenty-five batteries of artillery,
a train battalion, and a pioneer battalion. What
chance has a so-called army corps of half a dozen
regular infantry battalions, perhaps a dozen Volunteer
and Militia Corps, a scratch lot of cavalry, and half the
number of guns, against such a powerful, well-organised,
and well-trained force as this ?

" In the recent fighting about Chelmsford we have
had at the outside thirty regular battalions to oppose
the onslaught of three complete German Army Corps
such as that described above. We have had a number

BRITISH ABANDON COLCHESTER 247

of auxiliary troops in addition, as well as a preponderance
in heavy long-ranging artillery, but the former cannot
be manoeuvred in the same way as regular soldiers,
however brave and devoted they may be ; while, if
weaker in big guns, the enemy outnumbered our mobile
horse and field artillery by five or six to one. So it
must be understood that while a defeat is deplorable
and heartbreaking, yet a victory against such odds
would have been little less than a miracle. No blame
can be attached either to our officers or their men. All
did as much, or more, than could be humanly expected
of them. The long and short of it is that since we, as a
nation, have not chosen to have a sufficient and up-to-
date Army, we must take the rub when an invasion
comes.

" We knew well enough — though most of us pretended
ignorance — that we could not afford to pay for such an
Army at a rate comparable to the current labour market
rates, even if we had been twice as rich, and if shoals
of recruits had been forthcoming. We were aware, in
consequence, that some form of universal service was
the only possible method of raising a real Army, but
we shrank from making the personal sacrifices required.
We were too indolent, too careless, too unpatriotic.
Now we have got to pay for the pleasures of living in a
fool's paradise, and pay through the nose into the
bargain. We have no right to grumble, whatever may
be the outcome, and God only knows what the bitter
end of this war may be, what final defeat may mean
for our future as a nation. But I must quit moralising
and betake myself to my narrative.

" In my letter of the 9th I left the Colchester garrison
making their breakfast at Witham. I had understood
that they were coming on to Chelmsford, but, as it
turned out, the Leicestershires and Dorset s got orders
to turn off to the right just before reaching Boreham,
and to take up a position on the high ground east of
Little Waltham, which is about four miles due north of
Chelmsford. With them went a number of the heavy

248 THE INVASION OF 1910

4.7-inch guns we brought away with us. The Volunteers,
Scottish Borderers, and the Lancasters — the latter of
whom had been covering the flank of the retreat at
Wickham Bishops — came in to Chelmsford, and during
the evening were marched out and billeted in the houses
thickly scattered along the Braintree road. The
cavalry, after some slight skirmishing with the advanced
patrols of Von Kronhelm's Army, who came up with
them near Hatfield Peverell, turned up in the afternoon.

" In Chelmsford, when I halted at the Saracen's
Head, I found there were the 2nd Lincolnshire and the
2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers, who had come up from
Salisbury Plain, the 1st Hampshire and the 1st Royal
Fusiliers from Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. The
2nd South Wales Borderers from Tidworth and the 1st
Border Regiment from Bordon Camp arrived in the
afternoon, and were marched out to Great Baddow,
half-way to Danbury. The 14th Hussars from Shorn-
cliffe and the 20th from Brighton had also come in the
day previously, and they at once moved out to the
front to relieve the 16th Lancers and 7th Hussars,
who had been covering the retiral from Colchester.
The town was crowded with Volunteers in khaki, green,
red, blue — all the colours of the rainbow — and I noticed
two very smart corps of Yeomanry marching out to
support the two regular cavalry regiments. Every-
one seemed in good spirits on account of the news from
Royston and the successful issue of the cavalry skirmish
of the morning before. As Chelmsford lies in a kind
of hollow, I could not see much from there, so in the
afternoon I thought I would run out to the high ground
near Danbury and see if I could get any idea of what
was going on.

" As I passed Danbury Place I heard the deafening
report of heavy guns close at hand. I found that the
firing came from some of the Bluejackets' 4.7's near the
church, where I had seen them at work at the opening
of Purleigh Battle. I got out of my car and went up
to the officer in charge, whom I met on that occasion.

BRITISH ABANDON COLCHESTER 249

I asked him at what he was firing. 4 Look over there,'
he said, pointing towards Maldon. I saw nothing at
first. 4 Look higher,' said the sailor. I raised my
eyes, and there, floating hundreds of feet over and on
this side of the old town, a great yellow sausage-like
something glistened in the sunlight. I recognised it
at once from the photographs I had seen of the German
manoeuvres. It was their great military balloon,
known as the 4 Wurst,' or sausage, from its elongated
shape. Its occupants were doubtless hard at work
reconnoitring our position.

" Another gun gave tongue with an ear-splitting
report, and then a second one, its long chase sticking
up into the air like a monster telescope. They were
firing high explosive shell at the balloon, hoping that the
detonation would tear it if near enough. I saw the big
shell explode apparently close to their target, but the
distance was deceptive, and no apparent injury was done.
After another round, however, it began slowly to
descend, and soon disappeared behind the huddled
roofs of the town. 4 Might have got her,' remarked
Akers, the commander in charge of the guns, 4 but I
fancy not. But I reckon they thought it too warm to
stay up. We had our balloon up this morning,' he
continued, 4 and I expect she'll go up again before
dark. They had a few slaps at her, but didn't get within
a mile of her. She's in a field behind the woods at Twitty
Fee, about half a mile over there, if you want to see
her.5

44 1 thanked him and motored slowly off in the direction
indicated. I noticed great changes on Danbury Hill
since my last visit. Entrenchments and batteries
had sprung up on every side, and men were still as
busy as bees improving and adding to them. I found
the balloon, filled with gas and swaying about behind
a mass of woodland that effectually concealed it from
the enemy, but as I was informed that there would
be no ascent before half-past five, I continued my tour
round the summit of the hill. When I arrived at the

250 THE INVASION OF 1910

northern end I found that fresh defences were being
constructed right away round to the westward side.
The northern edge of Blake's Wood had been felled
and made into a formidable abattis, the sharpened
branches of the felled trees being connected together
with a perfect web of barbed wire.

"The same process was being carried out in the
woods and copses at Great Graces. New Lodge had
been placed in a state of defence. The windows,
deprived of glass and sashes, were being built up with
sand bags ; the flower garden was trampled into a
chaos ; the grand piano stood in the back yard, forming
a platform for a Maxim gun that peered over the wall.
The walls were disfigured with loop-holes. Behind
the house were piled the arms of a Volunteer Battalion
who, under the direction of a few officers and N.C.O.'s
of the Royal Engineers, were labouring to turn the
pretty country house into a scarred and hideous fortress.
Their cooks had dug a Broad Arrow kitchen in the
midst of the tennis lawn, and were busied about the
big black kettles preparing tea for the workers. New
Lodge was the most suggestive picture of the change
brought about by the war that I had yet seen. From
the corner of Great Graces Wood I could see through
my glasses that the outskirts of Great Baddow were
also alive with men preparing it for defence. I got
back to the balloon just in time to see it rising majestic-
ally above the trees. Either on account of their failure
to reach it in the morning, or for some other reason,
the enemy did not fire at it, and the occupants of the
car were able to make their observations in peace,
telephoning them to a non-commissioned officer at
the winding engine below, who jotted them down in
shorthand. From what I afterwards heard, it seems
that a long procession of carts was seen moving north-
wards from Maldon by way of Heybridge.

"It was presumed that these contained provisions
and stores for the IXth and Xth Corps from the big
depot which it had been discovered that the Saxons

BRITISH ABANDON COLCHESTER 251

had established near Southminster. A few long-range
shots were fired at the convoy from the big guns, but
without any appreciable effect. The procession stopped
though. No more carts came from the town, and
those already out disappeared behind the woods about
Langford Park. I understand that, apprised of this
by signal from the balloon, the 14th Hussars made
a gallant effort to attack the convoy, but they found
the country east of the Maldon-Witham Railway to
be full of the enemy, both infantry and cavalry, came
under a heavy fire from concealed troops, and sustained
considerable loss without being able to effect anything.
It is believed that the movement of stores continued
after dark, for our most advanced outposts and patrols
reported that the rumble of either artillery or wagons
was heard coming from the direction of the roads
leading north out of Maldon almost the whole night
through.

" On my return to Chelmsford I visited Springfield,
where I found the Scots Fusiliers, a Militia, and a
Volunteer Regiment entrenching themselves astride
the railway.

" I dined with three brother newspaper men at the
Red Lion Hotel. One of them had come from Dunmow,
and reported that the First Army was busily entrenching
itself on a long ridge a couple of miles to eastward of
the town. He said he had heard also that the high
ground about Thaxted had been occupied by some
troops who had come up from the South on Sunday
night, though he could not say what regiments they
were. They had detrained at filsenham, and marched
the rest of the way by road. If his information is
correct, the British Army on Monday night occupied
an almost continuous line stretching from Baldock
on the west to South Hanningfield, or perhaps Billericay
on the south. A very extensive front, but necessary
to be held if the forward march of the five German
Army Corps operating in the Eastern Counties was
to be checked. For though it would, of course, have

252 THE INVASION OF 1910

been desirable to take the offensive and attack the
Xth Corps during the temporary discomfiture of the
Garde and IVth Corps, we were compelled in the main
to adopt the tactics pursued by the Boers in South
Africa and act almost entirely on the defensive on
account of the poor quality of the bulk of our forces.
There was this exception, however, that the few regular
battalions were as far as possible placed in such positions
that they would be available for local counter-attacks
and offensive action. Our generals could not be alto-
gether guided by the generally-accepted rules of tactics
and strategy, but had to do the best they could with
the heterogeneous material at their disposal.

"As to what the enemy were doing during this day
we had no information worth speaking of, although
there was a rumour going about late in the afternoon
that Braintree had been occupied by the Hanoverians,
and that the head of General Von Kronhelm's Army
Corps had arrived at Witham. However this may
have been, we neither saw nor heard anything of them
during the night, and I much enjoyed my slumbers
after the fatigues of the last twenty-four hours. But
this was but the lull before the storm. About ten a.m.
the low growl of artillery rolled up from the south-east,
and it began to be bruited about that the Saxons were
attacking South Hanningfield in force, doubtless with
the object of turning our right flank. I ordered out
my motor, thinking I would run down to the high
ground at Stock, five miles to the southward, and see
if I could get an inkling of how matters were progressing.
That heavy fighting was in progress I felt certain,
for the cannonade grew momentarily louder and heavier.
Hardly had I cleared the town, when a fresh outburst
of firing boomed out from a northerly direction. I
stopped irresolute.

" Should I go on or turn back and set my face towards
Dunmow ? I eventually decided to go on, and arrived
at Stock^about eleven. I could not get much informa-
tion there, or see what was going on, so I decided to

BRITISH ABANDON COLCHESTER 253

make for South Hanningfield. At the foot of the hill
leading up to Harrow Farm I came across a battalion
of infantry lying down in quarter column behind the
woods on the left of the road. From some of the
officers I ascertained that it was the 1st Buffs, and
that they were in support of two Militia battalions
who were holding the ridge above. The Saxons, they
said, had come up from the direction of Woodham
Ferris in considerable force, but had not been able
to advance beyond the Rettendon-Battles-Bridge Road
on account of the heavy fire of our artillery, which
comprised several heavy guns, protected both from
fire and sight, and to which their field batteries in the
open ground below could make no effective reply.

"I had noticed for some little time that the firing
had slackened, so I thought I might as well get to the
top of the hill and get a view of the enemy. I did not
see much of them. By the aid of my glass I fancied
I could distinguish green uniforms moving about near
the copses in front of Rettendon Hall, but that was
about all. I looked towards Danbury and saw our
big balloon go up, and I also observed the big German
sausage wobbling about over Purleigh. But there
was no sign of military movement on either side. All
the time, however, I was conscious of the distant rumble
of guns away to the northward, and as there was ap-
parently nothing more to be seen at South Hanningfield
for the present, I regained my car and started back for
Chelmsford. I found the town buzzing like a hive of
bees.

"The troops were falling in under arms, the station
was full of people trying to get away by train, while
the inhabitants were tramping away in crowds by the
Brentwood and Ongar roads. The booming of the
still distant guns sounded louder and faster, and rumour
had it that the Hanoverians were trying to force the
passage of the river at Ford Mill. I replenished my
flask and luncheon basket, and started off in the direction
of the firing.

254 THE INVASION OF 1910

"All along the road to Little Waltham I caught
glimpses of khaki uniforms in the trenches that zig-
zagged about on the river slopes, while I passed two
or three regiments stepping northwards as fast as
they could get over the ground. There was a grim,
set look on the men's faces that betokened both anger
and determination."

CHAPTER XVI

FIERCE FIGHTING AT CHELMSFORD

The continuation of the despatch from Brentwood, as
follows, was published on Saturday, 15th September :

"At Little Waltham I found myself close to the scene
of action. About a mile ahead of me the hamlet of
Howe Street was in flames and burning furiously. I
could see the shells bursting in and all over it in perfect
coveys. I could not make out where they were coming
from, but an officer I met said he thought the enemy
must have several batteries in action on the high ground
about Littley Green, a mile and a half to the north on
the opposite side of the river. I crossed over myself,
and got up on the knoll where the Leicestershires and
Dorsets had been stationed, together with a number of
the 4.7-inch guns brought from Colchester.

"This piece of elevated ground is about two miles
long, running almost north and south, and at the top
of it I got an extensive view to the eastward right away
to beyond Witham, as the ground fell all the way. The
country was well wooded, and a perfect maze of trees
and hedgerows. If there were any Germans down there
in this plain they were lying very low indeed, for my
glasses did not discover the least indication of their
presence. Due east my view was bounded by the high
wooded ground about Wickham Bishops and Tiptree
Heath, which lay a long blue hummock on the horizon,
while to the south-east Danbur}/ Hill, with our big
war-balloon floating overhead, was plainly discernible.

"While I gazed on the apparently peaceful landscape

255

256 THE INVASION OF 1910

I was startled by a nasty sharp, hissing sound, which
came momentarily nearer. It seemed to pass over my
head, and was followed by a loud bang in the air, where
now hung a ring of white smoke. It was a shell from
the enemy. Just ahead of me was a somewhat ex-
tensive wood ; and, urged by some insane impulse of
seeking shelter, I left the car, which I ordered my
chauffeur to take back for a mile and wait, and made
for the close-standing trees. If I had stopped to think
I should have realised that the wood gave me actually
no protection whatever, and I had not gone far when
the crashing of timber and noise of the bursting pro-
jectiles overhead and in the undergrowth around made
me understand clearly that the Germans were making
a special target of the wood, which, I imagine, they
thought might conceal some of our troops. I wished
heartily that I was seated beside my chauffeur in his
fast-receding car.

" However, my first object was to get clear of the wood
again, and after some little time I emerged on the west
side, right in the middle of a dressing station for the
wounded, which had been established in a little hollow.
Two surgeons, with their assistants, were already busily
engaged with a number of wounded men, most of whom
were badly hit by shrapnel bullets about the upper part
of the body. I gathered from one or two of the few
most slightly wounded men that our people had been,
and were, very hardly put to it to hold their own. ' I
reckon/ said one of them, a bombardier of artillery,
* that the enemy must have got more than a hundred
guns firing at us, and at Howe Street village. If we
could only make out where the foreign devils were/
continued my informant, ' our chaps could have knocked
a good many of them out with our four-point-sevens,
especially if we could have got a go at them before they
got within range themselves. But they must have some-
how contrived to get them into position during the night,
for we saw nothing of them coming up. They are
somewhere about Chatley, Fairstead Lodge, and Little

FIERCE FIGHTING AT CHELMSFORD 257

Leighs, but as we can't locate them exactly and only
have ten guns up here, it don't give us much chance,
does it ? ' Later I saw an officer of the Dorsets, who
confirmed the gunner's story, but added that our
people were well entrenched and the guns well concealed,
so that none of the latter had been put out of action,
and he thought we should be able to hold on to the hill
all right. I regained my car without further adventure,
bar several narrow escapes from stray shell, and made
my way back as quickly as possible to Chelmsford.

" The firing went on all day, not only to the northward,
but also away to the southward, where the Saxons,
while not making any determined attack, kept the
Vth Corps continually on the alert, and there was an
almost continuous duel between the heavy pieces.
As it appeared certain that the knoll I had visited in
the forenoon was the main objective of the enemy's
attack, reinforcements had been more than once
sent up there, but the German shell fire was so
heavy that they found it almost impossible to construct
the additional cover required. Several batteries of
artillery were despatched to Pleshy and Rolphy Green
to keep down, if possible, the fire of the Germans, but
it seemed to increase rather than diminish. They must
have had more guns in action than they had at first.
Just at dusk their infantry made the first openly offensive
movement.

" Several lines of skirmishers suddenly appeared in
the valley between Little Leighs and Chatley, and
advanced towards Lyonshall Wood, at the north end
of the knoll east of Little Waltham. They were at
first invisible from the British gun positions on the other
side of the Chelmer, and when they cleared the spur on
which Hyde Hall stands they were hardly discernible in
the gathering darkness. The Dorsetshire and the other
battalions garrisoning the knoll manned their breast-
works as they got within rifle range, and opened fire,
but they were still subjected to the infernal rafale from
the Hanoverian guns on the hills to the northward, and
17

258

THE INVASION OF 1910

to make matters worse at this critical moment the
Xth Corps brought a long line of guns into action between
Flacks Green and Great Leighs Wood, in which position
none of the British guns except a few on the knoll itself

Battle of Chelmsford.
Position on the Evening of September ii.

could reach them. Under this cross hurricane of pro-
jectiles the British fire was quite beaten down, and the
Germans followed up their skirmishers by almost solid
masses, which advanced with all but impunity save for

FIERCE FIGHTING AT CHELMSFORD 259

the fire of the few British long-range guns at Pleshy
Mount. There they were firing almost at random, as
the gunners could not be certain of the exact where-
abouts of their objectives. There was a searchlight on
the knoll, but at the first sweep of its ray it was absolutely
demolished by a blizzard of shrapnel. Every German
gun was turned upon it. The Hanoverian battalions
now swarmed to the assault, disregarding the gaps made
in their ranks by the magazine fire of the defenders as
soon as their close advance masked the fire of their own
cannon.

" The British fought desperately. Three several times
they hurled back at the attackers, but, alas ! we were
overborne by sheer weight of numbers. Reinforcements
summoned by telephone, as soon as the determined
nature of the attack was apparent, were hurried up
from every available source, but they only arrived in
time to be carried down the hill again in the rush of
its defeated defenders, and to share with them the
storm of projectiles from the quick-firers of General
Von Kronhelm's artillery, which had been pushed
forward during the assault. It was with the greatest
difficulty that the shattered and disorganised troops
were got over the river at Little Waltham. As it was,
hundreds were drowned in the little stream, and hundreds
of others killed and wounded by the fire of the Germans.
They had won the first trick. This was indisputable,
and as ill news travels apace, a feeling of gloom fell upon
our whole force, for it was realised that the possession
of the captured knoll would enable the enemy to mass
troops almost within effective rifle range of our river
line of defence. I believe that it was proposed by
some officers on the staff that we should wheel back
our left and take up a fresh position during the night.
This was overruled, as it was recognised that to do
so would enable the enemy to push in between the
Dunmow force and our own, and so cut our general
line in half. All that could be done was to get up
every available gun and bombard the hill during the

26o THE INVASION OF 1910

night, in order to hamper the enemy in his preparations
for further forward movement and in his entrenching
operations.

" Had we more men at our disposal I suppose there is
little doubt that a strong counter attack would have
been made on the knoll almost immediately ; but in the
face of the enormous numbers opposed to us, I imagine
that General Blennerhasset did not feel justified in
denuding any portion of our position of its defenders.
So all through the dark hours the thunder of the great
guns went on. In spite of the cannonade the Germans
turned on no less than three searchlights from the
southern end of the knoll about midnight. Two were
at once put out by our fire, but the third managed to
exist for over half an hour, and enabled the Germans
to see how hard we were working to improve our defences
along the river bank. I am afraid that they were by this
means able to make themselves acquainted with the
positions of a great number of our trenches. During
the night our patrols reported being unable to penetrate
beyond Pratt's Farm, Mount Maskell, and Porter's
Farm on the Colchester Road. Everywhere they were
forced back by superior numbers. The enemy were
fast closing in upon us. It was a terrible night in
Chelmsford.

" There was a panic on every hand. A man mounted
the Tindal statue and harangued the crowd, urging the
people to rise and compel the Government to stop the
war. A few young men endeavoured to load the
old Crimean cannon in front of the Shire Hall, but found
it clogged with rust and useless. People fled from the
villa residences in Brentwood Road into the town for
safety, now that the enemy were upon them. The
banks in High Street were being barricaded, and the
stores still remaining in the various grocers' shops,
Luckin Smith's, Martin's, Cramphorn's, and Pearke's,
were rapidly being concealed from the invaders. All
the ambulance wagons entering the town were filled
with wounded, although as many as possible were sent

FIERCE FIGHTING AT CHELMSFORD 261

south by train. By one o'clock in the morning, however,
most of the civilian inhabitants had fled. The streets
were empty, but for the bivouacking troops and the
never-ending procession of wounded men. The General
and his Staff were deliberating to a late hour in the Shire
Hall, at which he had established his headquarters.
The booming of the guns waxed and waned till dawn,
when a furious outburst announced that the second act
of the tragedy was about to open.

" I had betaken myself at once to the round tower of
the church, next the Stone-bridge, from which I had an
excellent view both east and north. The first thing that
attracted my eye was the myriad flashings of rifle fire in
the dimness of the breaking day They reached in a
continuous line of coruscations from Boreham Hall,
opposite my right hand, to the knoll by Little Waltham,
a distance of three or four miles, I should say. The
enemy were driving in all our outlying and advanced
troops by sheer weight of numbers. Presently the heavy
batteries at Danbury began pitching shell over in the
direction of the firing, but as the German line still
advanced, it had not apparently any very great effect.
The next thing that happened was a determined attack
on the village of Howe Street made from the direction
of Hyde Hall. This is about two miles north of Little
Waltham. In spite of our incessant fire, the Germans
had contrived to mass a tremendous number of guns
and howitzers on and behind the knoll they captured
last night, and there were any quantity more on the ridge
above Hyde Hall. All these terrible weapons concen-
trated their fire for a few moments on the blackened
ruins of Howe Street. Not a mouse could have lived
there. The little place was simply pulverised.

" Our guns at Pleshy Mount and Rolphy Green, aided
by a number of field batteries, in vain endeavoured to
make head against them. They were outnumbered by
six to one. Under cover of this tornado of iron and fire,
the enemy pushed several battalions over the river,
making use of the ruins of the many bridges about

DECREE

CONCERNING THE POWER OF COUNCILS OF WAR.

WE, GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF EAST ANGLIA, in virtue of the powers
conferred upon us by His Imperial Majesty the German Emperor, Commander-in-Chief of
the German Armies, order, for the maintenance of the internal and external security of the
counties of the Government-General : —

Article I. — Any individual guilty of incendiarism or of wilful inundation, of attack, or
of resistance with violence against the Government-General or the agents of the civil or
military authorities, of sedition, of pillage, of theft with violence, of assisting prisoners to
escape, or of exciting soldiers to treasonable acts, shall be PUNISHED BY DEATH.

In the case of any extenuating circumstances, the culprit may be sent to penal servitude
with hard labour for twenty years.

Article II.— Any person provoking or inciting an individual to commit the crimes
mentioned in Article I. will be sent to penal servitude with hard labour for ten years.

Article III. — Any person propagating false reports relative to the operations of war or
political events will be imprisoned for one year, and fined up to ,£100.

In any case where the affirmation or propagation may cause prejudice against the
German army, or against any authorities or functionaries established by it, the culprit will
be sent to hard labour for ten years.

Article IV. — Any person usurping a public office, or who commits any act or issues any
order in the name of a public functionary, will be imprisoned for five years, and fined £150.

Article V. — Any person who voluntarily destroys or abstracts any documents, registers,
archives, or public documents deposited in public offices, or passing through their hands in
virtue of their functions as government or civic officials, will be imprisoned for two years,
and fined ,£150.

Article VI. — Any person obliterating, damaging, or tearing down official notices,
orders, or proclamations of any sort issued by the German authorities will be imprisoned for
six months, and fined ^80.

Article VII. — Any resistance or disobedience of any order given in the interests of
public security by military commanders and other authorities, or any provocation or
incitement to commit such disobedience, will be punished by one year's imprisonment, or a
fine of not less than ,£150.

Article VIII. — All offences enumerated in Articles I. -VII. are within the jurisdiction
of the Councils of War.

Article IX. — It is within the competence of Councils of War to adjudicate upon all
other crimes and offences against the internal and external security of the English provinces
occupied by the German Army, and also upon all crimes against the military or civil
authorities, or their agents, as well as murder, the fabrication of false money, of blackmail,
and all other serious offences.

Article X. — Independent of the above, the military jurisdiction already proclaimed will
remain in force regarding all actions tending to imperil the security of the German troops,
to damage their interests, or to render assistance to the Army of the British Government.

Consequently, there will be PUNISHED BY DEATH, and we expressly repeat this,
all persons who are not British soldiers and —

(a) Who serve the British Army or the Government as spies, or receive British spies, or

give them assistance or asylum.

(b) Who serve as guides to British troops, or mislead the German troops when charged

to act as guides.

(</) Who destroy bridges or canals, interrupt railways or telegraph lines, render roads

impassable, burn munitions of war, provisions, or quarters of the troops.
(t) Who take arms against the German troops.

Article XI. — The organisation of Councils of War mentioned in Articles VIII. and
IX. of the Law of May 2, 1870, and their procedure are regulated by special laws ^ which
are the same as the summary jurisdiction of military tribunals. In the case of Article X.
there remains in force the Law of July 21, 1867, concerning the military jurisdiction
applicable to foreigners

Article XII. — The present order is proclaimed and put into execution on the morrow
of the day upon which it is affixed in the public places of each town and village.
The Governor-General of East Anglia,

COUNT von SCHONBURG-WALDENBURG,
* Norwich, September -jth, 1910. Lieutenant-General.

FIERCE FIGHTING AT CHELMSFORD 263

there which had been hastily destroyed, and which they
repaired with planks and other materials they brought
along with them. They lost a large number of men in
the process, but they persevered, and by ten o'clock
were in complete possession of Howe Street, Langley's
Park, and Great Waltham, and moving in fighting
formation against Pleshy Mount and Rolphy Green,
their guns covering their advance with a perfectly awful
discharge of shrapnel. Our cannon on the ridge at
Partridge Green took the attackers in flank, and for a
time checked their advance, but, drawing upon them-
selves the attention of the German artillery, on the
south end of the knoll, were all but silenced.

" As soon as this was effected another strong column
of Germans followed in the footsteps of the first, and
deploying to the left, secured the bridge at Little
Waltham, and advanced against the gun positions on
Partridge Green. This move turned all our river bank
entrenchments right down to Chelmsford. Their de-
fenders were now treated to the enfilade fire of a number
of Hanoverian batteries that galloped down to Little
Waltham. They stuck to their trenches gallantly, but
presently when the enemy obtained a footing on Part-
ridge Green they were taken in reverse, and compelled
to fall back, suffering terrible losses as they did so. The
whole of the infantry of the Xth Corps, supported —
as we understand — by a division which had joined them
from Maldon, now moved down on Chelmsford. In
fact, there was a general advance of the three combined
armies stretching from Partridge Green on the west to
the railway line on the east. The defenders of the
trenches facing east were hastily withdrawn, and thrown
back on Writtle. The Germans followed closely with
both infantry and guns, though they were for a time
checked near Scot's Green by a dashing charge of our
cavalry brigade, consisting of the 16th Lancers and the
7th, 14th, and 20th Hussars, and the Essex and Middlesex
Yeomanry. We saw nothing of their cavalry, for a
reason that will be apparent later. By one o'clock fierce

264 THE INVASION OF 1910

fighting was going on all round the town, the German
hordes enveloping it on all sides but one. We had lost
a great number of our guns, or at anyrate had been cut
off from them by the German successes around Pleshy
Mount, and in all their assaults on the town they had
been careful to keep out of effective range of the heavy
batteries on Danbury Hill. These, by the way, had
their own work cut out for them, as the Saxon artillery
were heavily bombarding the hill with their howitzers.
The British forces were in a critical situation. Rein-
forcements— such as could be spared — were hurried up
from the Vth Army Corps, but they were not very many
in numbers, as it was necessary to provide against an
attack by the Saxon Corps. By three o'clock the greater
part of the town was in the hands of the Germans,
despite the gallant way in which our men fought them
from street to street, and house to house. A dozen fires
were spreading in every direction, and fierce fighting
was going on at Writtle. The overpowering numbers
of the Germans, combined with their better organisation,
and the number of properly trained officers at their dis-
posal, bore the British mixed Regular and Irregular
forces back, and back again.

"Fearful of being cut off from his line of retreat,
General Blennerhasset, on hearing from Writtle soon
after three that the Hanoverians were pressing his left
very hard, and endeavouring to work round it, reluct-
antly gave orders for the troops in Chelmsford to fall
back on Widford and Moulsham. There was a lull in
the fighting for about half an hour, though firing was
going on both at Writtle and Danbury. Soon after four
a terrible rumour spread consternation on every side.
According to this, an enormous force of cavalry and
motor infantry was about to attack us in the rear. What
had actually happened was not quite so bad as this, but
quite bad enough. It seems, according to our latest
information, that almost the whole of the cavalry
belonging to the three German Army Corps with whom
we were engaged — something like a dozen regiments,

FIERCE FIGHTING AT CHELMSFORD 265

with a proportion of horse artillery and all available
motorists, having with them several of the new armoured
motors carrying light, quick-firing and machine guns —
had been massed during the last thirty-six hours behind
the Saxon lines extending from Maldon to the River
Crouch. During the day they had worked round to the
southward, and at the time the rumour reached us were
actually attacking Billericay, which was held by a portion
of the reserves of our Vth Corps. By the time this news
was confirmed the Germans were assaulting Great
Baddow, and moving on Danbury from east, north, and
west, at the same time resuming the offensive all along
the line. The troops at Danbury must be withdrawn,
or they would be isolated. This difficult manoeuvre
was executed by way of West Hanningfield. The rest
of the Vth Corps conformed to the movement, the Guards
Brigade at East Hanningfield forming the rearguard,
and fighting fiercely all night through with the Saxon
troops, who moved out on the left flank of our retreat.
The wreck of the 1st Corps and the Colchester Garrison
was now also in full retirement. Ten miles lay between
it and the lines at Brentwood, and had the Germans been
able to employ cavalry in pursuit, this retreat would
have been even more like a rout than it was. Luckily
for us the Billericay troops mauled the German cavalry
pretty severely, and they were beset in the close country
in that neighbourhood by Volunteers, motorists and
every one that the officer commanding at Brentwood
could get together in this emergency.

" Some of them actually got upon our line of retreat,
but were driven off by our advance guard ; others came
across the head of the retiring Vth Corps, but the terrain
was all against, cavalry, and after nightfall most of them
had lost their way in the maze of lanes and hedgerows
that covered the countryside. Had it not been for this
we should probably have been absolutely smashed. As
it was, rather more than half our original numbers of
men and guns crawled into Brentwood in the early
morning, worn out and dead-beat."

CHAPTER XVII

IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS

We must now turn to the position of Sheffield on Satur-
day, September 8. It was truly critical.

It was known that Lincoln had been occupied without
opposition by General Graf Haesler, who was in command
of the VIHth Corps, which had landed at New Holland
and Grimsby. The enemy's headquarters had been
established in the old cathedral city, and it was reported
in Sheffield that the whole of this force was on the
move westward. In fact, on Saturday afternoon the
head of the advance-guard coming by way of Saxilby
and Tuxford had arrived at East Retford, and during
the night the rest of the main body, following closely
on its heels, disposed itself for bivouac in rear of that
sloping ground which reaches from Clarborough, through
Grove and Askham, to Tuxford, on the south.

In advance was Major-General von Brief en's splendid
cavalry brigade, who, during the march, had scoured
the county almost as far west as the River Rother itself.
Chesterfield, with its crooked spire, had been approached
by the 7th Westphalian Dragoons, supported by the
Grand Duke of Baden's Hussars and a company of
smart motor infantry.. Finding, however, that no
resistance was offered, they had extended, forming a
screen from that place to Worksop, examining and
reconnoitring every road, farmstead, and hamlet, in
order that the advance of the main body behind them
could not be interfered with.

The cavalry brigade of the other division, the

266

IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS

267

Cuirassiers of the Rhine No. 8, and the 7th Rhine Hussars,
scouted along to the northward as far as Bawtry, where
they were able to effect a junction with their comrades
of the Vllth Corps, who, it will be remembered, had
landed at Goole, and had now pushed on.

During Saturday afternoon a squadron of British
Yeomanry had been pushed out from Rotherham as
far as the high ground at Maltby, and hearing from
the contact patrols that nothing appeared to be in
front of them, moved on to Tickhill, a small village
four miles west of Bawtry. Unknown to them, however,
a force of Westphalian Dragoons, having had informa-
tion of their presence, crept up by the lower road through

; Blythe and Oldcoats, effectively taking them in rear,
passing as they did through the grounds of Sandbeck

! Hall.

The Yeomanry, at the alarm, pulled up, and, dis-
I mounting under cover, poured in a rattling volley upon
I the invaders, emptying more than one Westphalian
saddle. Next instant the Germans, making a dash,
I got between them and their line of retreat on Maltby.
It was palpable to the officer in charge of the Yeomanry
that he must get back to Sheffield some other way.
It would not do to stay and fight where he was, as there
was every prospect of his small troop being annihilated,
nor did he desire himself to be taken prisoner. His
business was to report what he had seen. This latter
he was bound to accomplish at all risks. So,
j hastily leaping into his saddle in the middle of a
perfect hail of bullets — the result of which was that
several horses went down and left their riders at the
mercy of the invaders — the little band set off to regain
their camp outside Rotherham, by the cross-country
roads through Stainton and Braithwell. Here again
they narrowly escaped falling into the hands of some
cavalry, who evidently belonged to the Vllth Corps, and
who had come down from the direction of Goole and
Doncaster.

Eventually, however, they crossed the River Don

268 THE INVASION OF 1910

at Aldwark, and brought in the first definite news which
General Sir George Woolmer at Sheffield had yet received.
It was thus proved that the German cavalry were now
within the sphere of operations, and that in all probability
they formed a screen covering the advance of the two
great German corps, which it was quite certain now
intended to make an attack upon the position he had
selected for defence.

Night fell. On every road British yeomanry,
cavalry, motor-cyclists, motor-infantry, and independent

some daring spirit fell dead, while more than once a
dying scream was heard as a German bayonet ended
the career of some too inquisitive patriot.

Away in Sheffield the town awaited, in breathless
tension and hot unrest, what was felt by everyone
to be the coming onslaught. Through the night the
heavy clouds that had gathered after sunset culminated
in a terrific thunderstorm. The heavens seemed rent

groups of infantry
were endeavouring
to penetrate the
secret of the exact
whereabouts of the
enemy. Yet they
found every road,
lane, and pathway,
no matter how care-
fully approached,
held by Germans.
Ever and anon, as
they crept near the
line of German out-
posts, came the low,
guttural demand as
sentries challenged
the intruder.

The Defence of Sheffield.

Here and there
in the hot night
shots rang out, and

IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS

269

asunder by the vivid lightning, the thunder crashed
and rolled, and rain fell in torrents upon the excited
populace, who, through the dark hours, crowded around
the barricades in the Sheffield streets. In the murky
dawn, grey and dismal, portentous events were impend-
ing.

Information from the enemy's camp — which was
subsequently made public — showed that well before
daylight the advance of the Vllth German Corps had
begun from Doncaster, while along the main road
through Warmsworth and Conisborough sturdily
tramped the 13th Division, all Westphalians, formed
into three infantry brigades and commanded by Lieut. -
General Doppschutz. The 14th Division, under
Lieut. -General von Kehler, moving through Balby and
Wad worth, prolonged the flank to the south. The
advance of both divisions was thus steadily continued
south-westward parallel to the River Rother, which lay
between themselves and the British. It was therefore
plain that the plan of the senior officer — General Baron
von Bistram, commanding the Vllth Corps — was that the
attack should be carried out mainly by that corps
itself, and that strong support should be given to it by
the Vlllth Corps, which was coming, as has already been
shown, from East Retford, and which could effectively
assist either to strike the final blow against our Army,
or, keeping well to the south, could threaten Sheffield
from the direction of Staveley.

No one knew what resistance the British were pre-
pared to offer. Full of courage and patriotism, they
were dominated by the proud traditions of English
soldiers ; still, it was to be remembered that they con-
sisted mainly of raw levies, and that they were opposed
by a force whose training and equipment were unequalled
in the world, and who outnumbered them in proportion
of about four to one.

What was to be expected ? Sheffield knew this —
and was breathless and terrified.

The great thunderstorm of the night helped to swell

270 THE INVASION OF 1910

the Rivers Don and Rother, and as the invaders would
have to cross them, doubtless under a terrific fire, the
battle must result in enormous casualties.

Early on Sunday morning it was evident that the
all-important blow, so long threatened, was about to be
struck. During the night great masses of German
artillery had been pushed up to the front, and these now
occupied most of the dominating hills, commanding
not only all approaches to the British position over
the River Rother, but they were even within effective
range of the key of the British position itself.

Hundreds of guns — many of them coming under
the head of siege-artillery — were concentrated a little
to the east of Whiston, whence they were able to pour
in an oblique fire upon the defences. This artillery
belonged evidently to the Vllth German Corps, and
had, with great labour and difficulty, been hauled by
all available horses, and even by traction-engines, right
across the country to where they were now placed.
The heaviest metal of all had been posted on Bricks
Hill, an eminence of some four hundred feet, immediately
above the Rother, and about six thousand yards
from Catcliffe, already referred to as the key of our
defences.

Suddenly, at sunrise, a low boom was heard from
this point. This was the opening German gun of the
artillery preparation for the attack, which was now
evidently developing, and although the distance was
nearly six thousand yards, yet the bursts of the huge
shells were seen to have been well timed. Another
and another followed, and presently these huge pro-
jectiles, hurtling through the air and bursting with a
greenish-yellow smoke, showed that they were charged
with some high explosive. No sooner had this terrific
tornado of destruction opened in real earnest from the
enemy, than the field artillery, massed as has already
been described, commenced their long-distance fire
at a range of about three thousand five hundred yards,
and for a period, that seemed hours, but yet was in

IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS

271

reality only about fifty minutes, the awful cannonade
continued.

The British guns had already come into action,
and intermittent firing of shrapnel and other projectiles
was now directed against the German batteries.

These latter, however, were mostly carefully con-
cealed, effective cover having, by means of hard spade-
work, been thrown up during the night. The British
guns were mostly served by Volunteers and Militia-
Artillerymen, who, although burning with patriotism,
were — owing to the little real practice they had had
in actually firing live shell, having mostly been drilled
with dummy guns — utterly incompetent to make any
impression upon the enemy's lines of concealed artillery.

It was plain, then, that the Germans had adopted
the principle of massing the bulk of the guns of their
two divisions of the Vllth Corps at such a point that
they might strike the heaviest blow possible at the de-
fence, under cover of which, when resistance had been
somewhat beaten down, the infantry might advance
to the attack. This was now being done. But away
to the south was heard the distant roar of other artillery,
no doubt that of Haesler's Corps, which had appar-
ently crossed the river somewhere in the neighbourhood
of Renishaw, and advancing via Eckington had estab-
lished themselves on the high ground, about five hundred
and twenty feet in altitude, just north of Ridgeway,
whence they were able to pour in an enfilading fire all
along the British position from its centre at Woodhouse
almost to Catcliffe itself. This rendered our position
serious, and although the German guns had opposed
to them the southernmost flank from Woodhouse to
Norton Woodseats, yet it was plain that the main
portion of the British defence was in process of being
" turned."

The heavy firing continued, and at last, under cover
of it, the rear attack now began some two hours after
the opening of the fight.

The 13th Division, under Doppschutz, were evidently

272 THE INVASION OF 1910

advancing by the main Doncaster road. Their advance
guard, which had already occupied Rotherham, had also
seized the bridge which the invaders had neither time
nor material to demolish, and now swept on across it,
although exposed to a heavy onslaught from that line
of the British position between Tinsley and Brinsworth.
Those sturdy, stolid Westphalians and bearded men
of Lorraine still kept on. Numbers dropped, and the
bridge was quickly strewn with dead and dying. Yet
nothing checked the steady advance of that irresistible
wave of humanity.

Down the River Rother, at Kanklow Bridge, a
similar scene was being enacted. The railway bridge
at Catcliffe was also taken by storm, and at Woodhouse
Mill the 14th Division, under Von Kehler, made a
terrific and successful dash, as they also did at Beighton.

The river itself was about an average distance of
a mile in front of the British position, and although
as heavy a fire as possible was directed upon all ap-
proaches to it, yet the Germans were not to be denied.
Utterly indifferent to any losses, they still swept on in
an overwhelming tide, leaving at the most not more
than ten per cent, of casualties to be dealt with by the
perfectly equipped ambulances in their rear. So, for
the most part, the various regiments constituting the
divisions of the two German commanders found them-
selves shaken, but by no means thwarted. On the west
bank of the river, the steep slopes rising from Beighton
to Woodhouse gave a certain amount of dead ground,
under cover of which the foreign legions took refuge,
in order to dispose themselves for the final assault.

A similar state of things had taken place to the south.
General Graf Haesler had flung both his divisions across
the river, with but little opposition. The 15th, com-
posed mainly of men of the Rhine, under Von Kluser,
crossed at Killamarsh and Metherthorpe Station,
while the 16th, under Lieut. -General Stolz, crossed at
Renishaw, and, striking north-easterly in the direction
of Ridgeway, closed in as they advanced, till at length

IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS 273

they were enabled to be within effective reach of their
comrades on the right.

The German attack had now developed into an
almost crescent-shaped formation, and about noon Von
Bistram, the commander-in-chief, issued his final orders
for the assault.

The cavalry of the Vllth German Corps under
Major-General von Landsberg, commanding the 13th
Cavalry Brigade, and the 14th Cavalry Brigade,
consisting of Westphalian Hussars and Uhlans,
under Major-General von Weder, were massed in the
neighbourhood of Greasborough, whence it might be
expected that at the critical stage of the engagement
if the British defences gave way they might be launched
upon the retiring Englishmen. Similarly in the valley
over by Middle Handley, a little south of Eckington,
were found the 15th and 16th Cavalry Brigades of the
Vlllth Corps, consisting of the 15th of Cuirassiers and
Hussars of the Rhine, and the 16th of Westphalians,
and the Grand Duke of Baden's Hussars, under that
well-known soldier, Major-General von Brief en. All
these were equally ready to advance in a northerly
direction to strike the crushing blow at the first of the
many important cities which was their objective.

Unless the scheme of von Bistram, the German
generalissimo in the North, was ill-conceived, then it
was plain, even to the defenders, that Sheffield must
eventually give way before the overpowering force
opposed to it.

Within the city of Sheffield the excitement now
rose to fever-heat.

It was known that the enemy had closed in upon
the defences, and were now across the river, ready
at any moment to continue their advance, which, as
I a matter of fact, had developed steadily without inter-
mission, notwithstanding the heroic efforts of the
defenders.

In these days of smokeless powder it was hard
for the Germans to see where the British lines of defence
18

274 THE INVASION OF 1910

were actually located, but the heavy pounding of the
artillery duel, which had been going on since early
morning, was now beginning to weaken as the German
infantry, company by company, regiment by regiment,
and brigade by brigade, were calmly launched to the
attack. They were themselves masking the fire of
the cannon of their own comrades as, by desperate
rushes, they gradually ascended the slopes before them.

The objective of the Vllth Corps seemed to be the
strongpoint which has already been referred to as dominat-
ing the position a little west of Catcliffe, and the VHIth
Corps were clearly directing their energies on the salient
angle of the defence which was to be found a little south
of Woodhouse. From this latter point the general
line of the British position from Woodhouse north to
Tinsley would then be turned.

The British stood their ground with the fearless
valour of Englishmen. Though effective defence seemed
from the very first futile, steady and unshaken volleys
rang out from every knoll, hillock, and shelter-trench
in that long line manned by the sturdy Yorkshire
heroes. Machine-guns rattled and spat fire, and pom-
poms worked with regularity, hurling their little shells
in a ceaseless stream into the invaders, but all, alas !
to no purpose. Where one German fell, at least three
appeared to take his place. The enemy seemed to
rise from the very ground. The more stubborn the
defence, the more numerous the Germans seemed
to become, gaps in their fighting line being reinforced
in that ruthless manner which is such a well-known
principle in German tactics — namely, that the com-
mander must not be sparing in his men, but fling forward
reinforcements at whatever cost.

Thus up the storm-swept glacis reaching from the
Rother struggled thousands of Germans in a tide that
could not be stemmed, halting and firing as they ad-
vanced, until it became clear that an actual hand-to-
hand combat was imminent.

The British had done all that men could. There

IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS 275

was no question of surrender. They were simply swept
away as straws before a storm. Dead and dying were
on every hand, ambulances were full, and groaning men
were being carried by hundreds to the rear. General
Woolmer saw that the day was lost, and at last, with
choking emotion, he was compelled to give that order
which no officer can ever give unless to save useless
bloodshed — " Retire ! — Retire upon Sheffield itself ! "

Bugles rang out, and the whistles of the officers
pierced the air. Then in as orderly a manner as was
possible in the circumstances, and amid the victorious
shouts from thousands of German throats, the struggling
units fell back upon the city.

The outlook was surely black enough. Worse
was, however, yet to follow. In the line of retreat
all roads were blocked with endless masses of wagons
and ambulances, and in order to fall back at all men
had to take to the open fields and clamber over hedges,
so that all semblance of order was very quickly lost.

Thus the retreat became little short of a rout.

Presently a shout rang out. " The cavalry ! The
cavalry ! "

And then was seen a swarm of big Uhlans riding
down from the north at a hand-gallop, evidently pre-
pared to cut off the routed army.

By Tinsley Park a body of Volunteers were retreat-
ing in an orderly manner, when the alarm of the cavalry
advance reached their ears. Their colonel, a red-
faced, bearded old gentleman, wearing the green ribbon
of the V.D., and who in private life was a brewery's
manager at Tadcaster, rose in his stirrups and, turning
round towards the croup of his somewhat weedy steed,
ejaculated the words in a hoarse and raucous bellow :
" Soaky Poo ! "

His men wondered what he meant. Some halted,
believing it to be a new order which demanded further
attention, until a smart young subaltern, smiling
behind his hand, shouted out, " Sauve qui peut —
Every man for himself ! "

276 THE INVASION OF 1910

And at this there was a helter-skelter flight on the
part of the whole battalion.

The Uhlans, however, were not to be denied, and,
circling round through Attercliffe, and thence south
towards Richmond Park, they effectively placed them-
selves across the line of retreat of many of the fugitives.

The latter practically ran straight into the lines
of the Germans, who called to them to lay down their
arms, and in half an hour along the cordon over two
thousand five hundred British of all arms found them-
selves prisoners in the hands of Von Landsberg, upon
whose brigade the brunt of this attack had fallen.

General von Wedel, of the 14th Cavalry Brigade,
was not inactive. He pursued the flying columns
along all the roads and country north-east of the city.
From the south came news of the cavalry of the VHIth
Corps, which had circled through Dronfield, Woodhouse,
Totley, along Abbey Dale, till they made an unresisted
entry into Sheffield from the south.

Within the town it was quickly seen that the day
was lost. All resistance had been beaten down by
the victorious invaders, and now, at the Town Hall,
the British flag was hauled down, and the German
ensign replaced it. From every street leading out
of the city to the west poured a flying mob of dis-
organised British troops, evidently bent upon making
the best of their way into the hilly district of the Peak
of Derbyshire, where, in the course of time, they might
hope to reorganise and re-establish themselves.

The German pursuit, although very strenuous on
the part of the cavalry as far as effecting the occupation
of the city was concerned, did not extend very much
beyond it. Clearly the invaders did not want to be
burdened with a large number of British prisoners
whom they had no means of interning, and whom it
would be difficult to place on parole. What they
wanted was to strike terror in the great cities of the
north.

Sheffield was now theirs. Nearly all the ammunition

IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS 277

and stores of the defenders had fallen into their hands,
and they were enabled to view, with apparent equan-
imity, the spectacle of retreating masses of British
infantry, yeomanry, and artillery. Westwards along
the network of roads leading in the direction of the
High Peak, Derwent Dale, Bradfield, Buxton, and on
to Glossop, the British were fast retreating, evidently
making Manchester their objective.

Sheffield was utterly dumbfounded. The barricades
had been broken down and swept away. The troops,
of whom they had hoped so much, had been simply
swept away, and now the streets were full of burly
foreigners. George Street swarmed with Westphalian
infantry and men of Lorraine ; in Church Street a
squadron of Uhlans were drawn up opposite the Sheffield
and Hallamshire Bank, while the sidewalk was occupied
by piled arms of the 39th Fusilier Regiment. In the
space around the Town Hall the 6th Infantry Regiment
of the Rhine and a regiment of Cuirassiers were standing
at ease. Many of the stalwart sons of the Fatherland
were seen to light their pipes and stolidly enjoy a smoke,
while officers in small groups stood here and there
discussing the events of the victorious day.

The saddest scenes were to be witnessed at the Royal
Infirmary, in Infirmary Road, at the Royal Hospital
in West Street, and even in some of the vacant wards in
the Jessop Hospital for Women in Victoria Street, which
had to be requisitioned for the accommodation of the
crowds of wounded of both nations, so constantly being
brought in by carts, carriages, motor-cars, and even cabs.

The St. John's Ambulance Brigade, with many ladies,
were doing all they could to render aid, while the Queen
Victoria Jubilee Institute for Nurses was called upon
for all available help. Every place where sick could
be accommodated, including the well-known George
Woofindin Convalescent Home, was crowded to over-
flowing with sufferers, while every doctor in Sheffield bore
his part in unceasing surgical work. But the number
of dead on both sides it was impossible to estimate.

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THE INVASION OF 1910

At the Town Hall the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and
councillors assembled, and met the German General,
who sternly and abruptly demanded the payment of
half a million pounds sterling in gold as an indemnity,
together with the production of all stores that the
German Army should require in order that they could
re- victual.

In reply the Lord Mayor, after consulting with the
Council, stated that he would call a meeting of all bank
managers and heads of the great manufacturing firms
in order that the demand might be, as far as possible,
complied with. This answer was promised at five p.m.

Meanwhile, on the notice-board outside the Town
Hall, a proclamation was affixed by the Chief of the
German Staff, a sentry being posted on either side of it
to prevent it being torn down.

Copies were sent to the offices of the local newspapers,
and within half an hour its tenor was known in every
part of the city. Throughout the night German
cavalry patrolled all the main streets, most of the infantry
being now reassembled into their brigades, divisions,
and army corps on the southern outskirts of the city,
and in Norton, Coal Aston, Dronfield, and Whittington
were being established the headquarters of the four
different divisions of which the VII. and VIII. Corps re-
spectively were composed.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE FEELING IN LONDON

Reports from Sheffield stated that on Sunday the
gallant defence of the town by General Sir George
Woolmer had been broken. We had suffered a terrible
reverse. The British were in full flight, and the two
victorious Corps now had the way open to advance to
the metropolis of the Midlands, for they knew that they
had left behind them only a shattered remnant of what
the day before had been the British Army of the North.

In both Houses of Parliament, hastily summoned,
there had been memorable scenes. In the Commons,
the Government had endeavoured to justify its suicidal
actions of the past, but such speeches were howled down,
and even the Government organs themselves were now
compelled to admit that the party had committed very
grave errors of judgment.

Each night the House had sat until early morning,
every member who had been in England on the previous
Sunday being in his place. In response to the ever-
repeated questions put to the War Minister, the reply
was each day the same. All that could be done was
being done.

Was there any hope of victory ? That was the
question eagerly asked on every hand — both in Parlia-
ment and out of it. At present there seemed none.
Reports from the theatres of war in different parts of
the country reaching the House each hour were ever the
same — the British driven back by the enemy's over-
whelming numbers.

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280

THE INVASION OF 1910

The outlook was indeed a black one. The lobby
was ever crowded by members eagerly discussing the
situation. The enemy were at the gates of London.
What was to be done ?

In the House on Friday, September 7, in view of
the fact that London was undoubtedly the objective of the
enemy, it was decided that Parliament should, on the
following day, be transferred to Bristol, and there meet
in the great Colston Hall. This change had actually
* been effected, and the whole of both Houses, with their
staff, were hurriedly transferred to the west, the Great
Western Railway system being still intact.

The riff-raff from Whitechapel, those aliens whom
we had so long welcomed and pampered in our midst —
Russians, Poles, Austrians, Swedes, and even Germans —
the latter, of course, now declared themselves to be
Russians — had swarmed westward in lawless, hungry
multitudes, and on Monday afternoon serious rioting
occurred in Grosvenor Square and the neighbourhood,
and also in Park Lane, where several houses were entered
and pillaged by the alien mobs.

The disorder commenced at a great mass meeting
held in the Park, just behind the Marble Arch. Orators
were denouncing the Government and abusing the
Ministers in unmeasured terms, when someone, seeing
the many aliens around, set up the cry that they were
German spies. A free fight at once ensued, with the
result that the mob, uncontrolled by the police, dashed
across into Park Lane and wrecked three of the largest
houses — one of which was deliberately set on fire by a
can of petrol brought from a neighbouring garage.
Other houses in Grosvenor Square shared the same fate.

In every quarter of London shops containing groceries,
provisions, or flour were broken open by the lawless
bands and sacked. From Kingsland and Hoxton,
Lambeth and Camberwell, Notting Dale and Chelsea,
reports received by the police showed that the people
were now becoming desperate. Not only were the
aliens lawless, but the London unemployed and lower

THE FEELING IN LONDON 281

classes were now raising their voices. " Stop the war !
Stop the war ! " was the cry heard on every hand. Nearly
all the shops containing provisions in Whitechapel Road,
Commercial Road East, and Cable Street were, during
Monday, ruthlessly broken open and ransacked. The
police from Leman Street were utterly incompetent to
hold back the rush of the infuriated thousands, who
fought desperately with each other for the spoils, starving
men, women, and children all joining in the fray.

The East End had indeed become utterly lawless.
The big warehouses in the vicinity of the docks
were also attacked and most of them emptied of
their contents, while two at Wapping, being defended
by the police, were deliberately set on fire by the rioters,
and quantities of wheat burned.

Fierce men formed themselves into raiding bands
and went westward that night, committing all sorts of
depredations. The enemy were upon them, and they
did not mean to starve, they declared. Southwark and
Bermondsey, Walworth and Kennington had remained
quiet and watchful all the week, but now, when the
report spread of this latest disaster to our troops at
Sheffield, and that the Germans were already approaching
London, the whole populace arose, and the shopbreaking,
once started in the Walworth and Old Kent Roads,
spread everywhere throughout the whole of South
London.

In vain did the police good-humouredly cry to them
to remain patient ; in vain did the Lord Mayor address
the multitude from the steps of the Royal Exchange ;
in vain did the newspapers, inspired from headquarters,
with one accord urge the public to remain calm, and
allow the authorities to direct their whole attention
towards repelling the invaders. It was all useless.
The public had made up its mind.

At last the bitter truth was being forced home upon
the public, and in every quarter of the metropolis those
very speakers who, only a couple of years before, were
crying down the naval and military critics who had

282 THE INVASION OF 1910

dared to raise their voices in alarm, were now admitting
that the country should have listened and heeded.

London, it was plain, had already abandoned hope.
The British successes had been so slight. The command
of the sea was still in German hands, although in the
House the Admiralty had reassured the country that in
a few days we should regain the supremacy.

A few days ! In a few days London might be invested
by the enemy, and then would begin a reign of terror
unequalled by any in the history of the civilised world.

By day the streets of the city presented a scene of
turmoil and activity, for it seemed as though City
workers clung to their old habit of going there each
morning, even though their workshops, offices, and
warehouses were closed. By night the West End,
Pall Mall, Piccadilly, Oxford Street, Regent Street,
Portland Place, Leicester Square, Whitehall, Victoria
Street, and around Victoria Station were filled with idle,
excited crowds of men, women, and children, hungry,
despairing, wondering.

At every corner men and boys shouted the latest
editions of the newspapers. " ' Nother great Battle !
'Nother British Defeat ! Fall of Sheffield ! " rose above
the excited chatter of the multitude. The cries fell upon
the ears of defenceless Londoners, darkening the outlook
as hour after hour wore on.

The heat was stifling, the dust suffocating, now
that the roads were no longer cleaned. The theatres
were closed. Only the churches and chapels remained
open — and the public-houses, crowded to overflowing.
In Westminster Abbey, in St. Paul's Cathedral, in St.
Martin's-in-the-Fields, and in Westminster Cathedral
special prayers were that night being offered for the
success of the British arms. The services were crowded
by all sorts and conditions of persons, from the poor,
pinched woman in a shawl from a Westminster slum,
to the lady of title who ventured out in her electric
brougham. Men from the clubs stood next half-starved
working men, and more than one of the more fortunate

THE FEELING IN LONDON

283

slipped money unseen into the hand of his less-favoured
brother in adversity.

War is a great leveller. The wealthy classes were,
in proportion, losing as much as the workers. It was
only the grip of hunger that they did not feel, only the
cry of starving children that did not reach their ears.
For the rest, their interests were equal.

Meanwhile, from every hand rose the strident cries
of the newsboys :

" 'Nother great Battle ! British routed at Sheffield !
Extrur spe-shall ! — spe'shall ! "

British routed ! It had been the same ominous cry
the whole week through.

Was London really doomed ?

BOOK II

THE SIEGE OF LONDON

CHAPTER I

THE LINES OF LONDON

The German successes were continued in the North and
Midlands, and notwithstanding the gallant defence of
Sir George Woolmer before Manchester and Sir Henry
Hibbard before Birmingham, both cities were captured
and occupied by the enemy after terrible losses. London,
however, was the chief objective of Von Kronhelm, and
towards the Metropolis he now turned his attention.

After the defeat of the British at Chelmsford on that
fateful Wednesday Lord Byrield decided to evacuate his
position at Royston and fall back on the northern
section of the London defence line, which had been
under construction for the last ten days. These
hasty entrenchments, which would have been im-
possible to construct but for the ready assistance
of thousands of all classes of the citizens of London
and the suburbs, extended from Tilbury on the east
to Bushey on the west, passing by the Laindon Hills,
Brentwood, Kelvedon, North Weald, Epping, Waltham
Abbey, Cheshunt, Enfield Chase, Chipping Barnet, and
Elstree. They were more or less continuous, consisting
for the most part of trenches for infantry, generally
following the lines of existing hedgerows or banks, which
often required but little improvement to transform
them into well-protected and formidable cover for the
defending troops. Where it was necessary to cross open
ground they were dug deep and winding, after the fashion
adopted by the Boers in the South African War, so that
it would be difficult, if not impossible, to enfilade them.

287

288 THE INVASION OF 1910

Special bomb-proof covers for the local reserves were
also constructed at various points, and the ground in
front ruthlessly cleared of houses, barns, trees, hedges,
and everything that might afford shelter to an advancing
enemy. Every possible military obstacle was placed
in front of the lines that time permitted, abattis, military
pits, wire entanglements, and small ground mines. At
the more important points along the fifty miles of en-

trenchments field-works and redoubts for infantry and
guns were built, most of them being armed with 4.7 or
even 6 and 7.5 in. guns, which had been brought from
Woolwich, Chatham, Portsmouth, and Devonport, and
mounted on whatever carriages could be adapted or
improvised for the occasion.

The preparation of the London lines was a stupendous
undertaking, but the growing scarceness and clearness
of provisions assisted in a degree, as no free rations were
issued to any able-bodied man unless he went out to
work at the fortifications. All workers were placed
under military law. There were any number of willing
workers who proffered their services in this time of peril.
Thousands of men came forward asking to be enlisted
and armed. The difficulty was to find enough weapons

LINES OF LONDON

289

and ammunition for them, to say nothing of the question
of uniform and equipment, which loomed very large
indeed. The attitude of the Germans, as set forth in
Von Kronhelm's proclamations, precluded the employ-
ment of righting men dressed in civilian garb, and their
attitude was a perfectly natural and justifiable one by
all the laws and customs of war.

It became necessary, therefore, that all men sent to
the front should be dressed as soldiers in some way or
another. In addition to that splendid corps, the Legion
of Frontiersmen, many new armed organisations had
sprung into being, some bearing the most fantastic
names, such as the " Whitechapel War-to-the-Knifes,"
the " Kensington Cowboys," the " Bayswater Braves,"
and the " Southwark Scalphunters." All the available
khaki and blue serge was used up in no time ; even
though those who were already in possession of ordinary
lounge suits of the latter material were encouraged to
have them altered into uniform by the addition of
stand-up collars and facings of various colours, according
to their regiments and corps.

Only the time during which these men were waiting
for their uniforms was spent in drill in the open spaces
of the metropolis. As soon as they were clothed, they
were despatched to that portion of the entrenchments
to which their corps had been allocated, and there, in
the intervals of their clearing and digging operations,
they were hustled through a brief musketry course,
which consisted for the most part in firing. The
question of the provision of officers and N.C.O.s was an
almost insuperable one. Retired men came forward on
every side, but the supply was by no means equal to
the demand, and they themselves in many instances
were absolutely out of date as far as knowledge of
modern arms and conditions were concerned. However,
every one, with but very few exceptions, did his utmost,
and by the nth or 12th of the month the entrenchments
were practically completed, and manned by upwards of
150,000 " men with muskets " of stout heart and full of

2Q0 THE INVASION OF 1910

patriotism, but in reality nothing but an army " pour
rire " so far as efficiency was concerned.

The greater part of the guns were also placed in
position, especially on the north and eastern portions of
the lines, and the remainder were being mounted as
fast as it was practicable. They were well manned by
Volunteer and Militia artillerymen, drawn from every
district which the invaders had left accessible. By the
13th the eastern section of the fortifications was
strengthened by the arrival of the remnants of the 1st
and Vth Army Corps, which had been so badly defeated
at Chelmsford, and no time was lost in reorganising
them and distributing them along the lines, thereby,
to a certain extent, leavening the unbaked mass of
their improvised defenders. It was generally expected
that the enemy would follow up the success by an
immediate attack on Brentwood, the main barrier
between Von Kronhelm and his objective — our great
metropolis. But, as it turned out, he had a totally
different scheme in hand. The orders to Lord Byfield
to evacuate the position he had maintained with such
credit against the German Garde and IVth Corps have
already been referred to. Their reason was obvious.
Now that there was no organised resistance on his right,
he stood in danger of being cut off from London, the
defences of which were now in pressing need of his men.
A large amount of rolling stock was at once despatched
to Saffron Walden and Buntingford by the G.E.R., and
to Baldock by 'the G.N.R., to facilitate the withdrawal
of his troops and stores, and he was given an absolutely
free hand as to how these were to be used, all lines
being kept clear and additional trains kept waiting at
his disposal at their London termini.

The 13th of September proved a memorable date in
the history of England.

The evacuation of the Baldock-Saffron Walden
position could not possibly have been carried out in
good order on such short notice, had not Lord Byfield
previously worked the whole thing out in readiness.

LINES OF LONDON

291

He could not help feeling that, despite his glorious
victory on the ninth, a turn of Fortune's wheel might
necessitate a retirement on London sooner or later,
and, like the good General that he was, he made every
preparation both for this, and other eventualities.
Among other details, he had arranged that the mounted
infantry should be provided with plenty of strong
light wire. This was intended for the express benefit
of Frolich's formidable cavalry brigade, which he
foresaw would be most dangerous to his command
in the event of a retreat. As soon, therefore, as the
retrograde movement commenced, the mounted infantry
began to stretch their wires across every road, lane,
and byway leading to the north and north-east. Some
wires were laid low, within a foot of the ground, others
high up where they could catch a rider about the neck
or breast. This operation they carried out again and
again, after the troops had passed, at various points
on the route of the retreat. Thanks to the darkness,
this device well fulfilled its purpose. Frolich's brigade
was on the heels of the retreating British soon after
midnight, but as it was impossible for them to move
over the enclosed country at night his riders were
confined to the roads, and the accidents and delays
occasioned by the wires were so numerous and dis-
concerting, that their advance had to be conducted
with such caution that as a pursuit it was of no use
at all. Even the infantry and heavy guns of the retiring
British got over the ground nearly twice as fast. After
two or three hours of this, only varied by occasional
volleys from detachments of our mounted infantry,
who sometimes waited in rear of their snares to let
fly at the German cavalry before galloping back to
lay others, the enemy recognised the fact, and, with-
drawing their cavalry till daylight, replaced them by
infantry, but so much - time had been lost that the
British had got several miles' start.

As has been elsewhere chronicled, the brigade
of four regular battalions with their guns, and a com-

2Q2 THE INVASION OF 1910

pany of Engineers, which were to secure the passage
of the Stort and protect the left flank of the retirement,
left Saffron Walden somewhere about 10.30 p.m. The
line was clear, and they arrived at Sawbridgeworth
in four long trains in a little under an hour. Their
advent did not arouse the sleeping village, as the station
lies nearly three-quarters of a mile distant on the further
side of the river. It may be noted in passing that
while the Stort is but a small stream, easily fordable
in most places, yet it was important, if possible, to
secure the bridges to prevent delay in getting over
the heavy guns and wagons of the retiring British. A
delay and congestion at the points selected for passage
might, with a close pursuit, easily lead to disaster.
Moreover, the Great Eastern Railway crossed the
river by a wooden bridge just north of the village of
Sawbridgeworth, and it was necessary to ensure the
safe passage of the last trains over it before destroying
it to preclude the use of the railway by the enemy.

There were two road bridges on the Great Eastern
Railway near the village of Sawbridgeworth, which
might be required by the Dunmow force, which was
detailed to protect the same flank rather more to the
northward. The most important bridge, that over
which the main body of the Saffron Walden force
was to retire, with all the impedimenta it had had
time to bring away with it, was between Sawbridge-
worth and Harlow, about a mile north of the latter
village, but much nearer its station. Thither, then,
proceeded the leading train with the Grenadiers, four
4.7 guns, and half a company of Royal Engineers with
bridging materials. Their task was to construct a
second bridge to relieve the traffic over the permanent
one. The Grenadiers left one company at the railway
station, two in Harlow village, which they at once
commenced to place in a state of defence, much to the
consternation of the villagers, who had not realised
how close to them were trending the redjfootsteps of
war. The remaining five companies with the other

LINES OF LONDON

293

four guns turned northward, and after marching another
mile or so occupied the enclosures round Durrington
House and the higher ground to its north. Here the
guns were halted on the road. It was too dark to
select the best position for them, for it was now only
about half an hour after midnight. The three other
regiments which detrained at Sawbridgeworth were dis-
posed as follows, continuing the line of the Grenadiers
to the northward. The Rifles occupied Hyde Hall,
formerly the seat of the Earls of Roden, covering the
operations of the Engineers, who were preparing the
railway bridge for destruction, and the copses about
Little Hyde Hall on the higher ground to the eastward.

The Scots Guards with four guns were between
them and the Grenadiers, and distributed between
Sheering village and Gladwyns House, from the neigh-
bourhood of which it was expected that the guns would
be able to command the Chelmsford Road for a con-
siderable distance. The Seaforth Highlanders for the
time being were stationed on a road running parallel
to the railway, from which branch roads led to both
the right, left, and centre of the position. An advanced
party of the Rifle Brigade was pushed forward to
Hatfield Heath with instructions to patrol towards the
front and flanks, and, if possible, establish communica-
tion with the troops expected from Dunmow. By
the time all this was completed it was getting on for
3 a.m. on the 13th. At this hour the advanced guard
of the Germans coming from Chelmsford was midway
between Leaden Roding and White Roding, while the
main body was crossing the small River Roding by
the shallow ford near the latter village. Their few
cavalry scouts were, however, exploring the roads
and lanes some little way ahead. A collision was im-
minent. The Dunmow force had not been able to
move before midnight, and, with the exception of one
regular battalion, the 1st Leinsters, which was left
behind to the last and crowded into the only train
available, had only just arrived at the northern edge

294 THE INVASION OF 1910

of Hatfield Forest, some four miles directly north of
Hatfield Heath. The Leinsters, who left Dunmow
by train half an hour later, had detrained at this point
at one o'clock, and just about three had met the patrols
of the Rifles. A Yeomanry corps from Dunmow was
also not far off, as it had turned to its left at the cross-
roads east of Takely, and was by this time in the neigh-
bourhood of Hatfield Broad Oak. In short, all three
forces were converging, but the bulk of the Dunmow
force was four miles away from the point of con-
vergence.

It was still profoundly dark when the Rifles at
Hatfield Heath heard a dozen shots cracking through
the darkness to their left front. Almost immediately
other reports resounded from due east. Nothing could
be seen beyond a very few yards, and the men of the
advanced company drawn up at the crossroads in
front of the village inn fancied they now and again
saw figures dodging about in the obscurity, but were
cautioned not to fire till their patrols had come in,
for it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe.
Shots still rattled out here and there to the front.
About ten minutes later the captain in command,
having got in his patrols, gave the order to fire at a
black blur that seemed to be moving towards them
on the Chelmsford Road. There was no mistake this
time. The momentary glare of the discharge flashed
on the shiny " pickel-haubes" of a detachment of
German infantry, who charged forward with a loud
' ' Hoch ! ' ' The Riflemen, who already had their bayonets
fixed, rushed to meet them, and for a few moments
there was a fierce stabbing affray in the blackness
of the night. The Germans, who were but few in
number, were overpowered, and beat a retreat, having
lost several of their men. The Rifles, according to
their orders, having made sure of the immediate prox-
imity of the enemy, now fell back to the rest of their
battalion at Little Hyde Hall, and all along the banks
and hedges which covered the British front, our men,

LINES OF LONDON

295

rifle in hand, peered eagerly into the darkness ahead
of them.

Nothing happened for quite half an hour, and the
anxious watchers were losing some of their alertness,
when a heavy outburst of firing re-echoed from Hatfield
Heath. To explain this we must return to the Germans.
Von der Rudesheim, on obtaining touch with the
British, at once reinforced his advanced troops, and
they, a whole battalion strong, advanced into the
hamlet, meeting with no resistance. Almost simul-
taneously two companies of the Leinsters entered it
from the northward. There was a sudden and unex-
pected collision on the open green, and a terrible fire
was exchanged at close quarters, both sides losing
very heavily. The British, however, were borne back
by sheer weight of numbers, and, through one of those
unfortunate mistakes that insist on occurring in warfare,
were charged as they fell back by the leading squadrons
of the Yeomanry who were coming up from Hatfield
Broad Oak. The officer commanding the Leinsters
decided to wait till it was a little lighter before again
attacking the village. He considered that, as he had
no idea of the strength of the enemy, he had best wait
till the arrival of the troops now marching through
Hatfield Forest. Von der Rudesheim, on his part,
mindful of his instructions, determined to try to hold
the few scattered houses on the north side of the heath
which constituted the village, with the battalion already
in it, and push forward with the remainder of his force
towards Harlow. His first essay along the direct road
via Sheering, was repulsed by the fire of the Scots
Guards lining the copses about Gladwyns. He now
began to have some idea of the British position, and
made his preparations to assault it at daybreak.

To this end he sent forward two of his batteries
into Hatfield Heath, cautiously moved the rest of his
force away to the left, arranged his battalions in the
valley of the Pincey Brook ready for attacking Sheering
and Gladwyns, placed one battalion in reserve at

LINES OF LONDON

297

Down Hall, and stationed his remaining battery near
Newman's End. By this time there was beginning
to be a faint glimmer of daylight in the east, and, as
the growing dawn began to render vague outlines of
the nearer objects dimly discernible, hell broke loose
along the peaceful countryside. A star shell fired from
the battery at Newman's End burst and hung out a
brilliant white blaze that fell slowly over Sheering
village, lighting up its walls and roofs and the hedges
along which lay its defenders, was the signal for the
Devil's Dance to begin. Twelve guns opened with a
crash from Hatfield Heath, raking the Gladwyns en-
closures and the end of Sheering village with a deluge
of shrapnel, while an almost solid firing line advanced
rapidly against it, firing heavily. The British replied
lustily with gun, rifle, and maxim, the big, high-ex-
plosive shells bursting amid the advancing Germans
and among the houses of Hatfield Heath with telling
effect. But the German assaulting lines had but six
or seven hundred yards to go. They had been trained
above all things to ignore losses and to push on at all
hazards. The necessity for this had not been confused
in their minds by maxims about the importance of
cover, so the south side of the village street was taken
at a rush. Von der Rudesheim continued to pile on
his men, and, fighting desperately, the Guardsmen
were driven from house to house and from fence to
fence. All this time the German battery at Newman's
End continued to fire star shells with rhythmical
regularity, lighting up the inflamed countenances of
the living combatants, and the pale upturned faces
of the dead turned to heaven as if calling for ven-
geance on their slayers. In the midst of this desperate
righting the Leinsters, supported by a Volunteer and
a Militia regiment, which had just come up, assaulted
Hatfield Heath. The Germans were driven out of
it with the loss of a couple of their guns, but hung
on to the little church, around which such a desperate
conflict was waged that the dead above ground in that

298 THE INVASION OF 1910

diminutive God's acre outnumbered the " rude fore-
fathers of the hamlet" who slept below.

It was now past five o'clock in the morning, and
by this time strong reinforcements might have been
expected from Dunmow, but, with the exception of the
Militia and Volunteer battalions just referred to, who
had pushed on at the sound of the firing, none were
seen coming up. The fact was that they had been
told off to certain positions in the line of defence they
had been ordered to take up, and had been slowly
and carefully installing themselves therein. Their
commanding officer, Sir Jacob Stellenbosch, thought
that he must carry out the exact letter of the orders
he had received from Lord Byfield, and paid little
attention to the firing except to hustle his battalion
commanders, to try to get them into their places as
soon as possible. He was a pig-headed man into the
bargain, and would listen to no remonstrance. The
two battalions which had arrived so opportunely had
been at the head of the column, and had pushed forward
" on their own" before he could prevent them. At
this time the position was as follows : One German
battalion was hanging obstinately on to the outskirts
of Hatfield Heath ; two were in possession of the copses
about Gladwyns ; two were in Sheering village, or close up
to it, and the sixth was still in reserve at Down Hall.
On the British side the Rifles were in their original
position at Little Hyde Hall, where also were three
guns, which had been got away from Gladwyns. The
Seaforths had come up, and were now firing from about
Quickbury, while the Scots Guards, after suffering
fearful losses, were scattered, some with the High-
landers, others with the five companies of the Grenadiers,
who with their four guns still fought gallantly on between
Sheering and Durrington House.

CHAPTER II

REPULSE OF THE GERMANS

The terrible fire of the swarms of Germans who now
lined the edges of Sheering village became too much for
the four 4.7 guns on the open ground to the south.

Their gunners were shot down as fast as they touched
their weapons, and when the German field battery
at Newman's End, which had been advanced several
hundred yards, suddenly opened a flanking fire of
shrapnel upon them, it was found absolutely impossible
to serve them. A gallant attempt was made to with-
draw them by the Harlow Road, but their teams were
shot down as soon as they appeared. This enfilade
fire, too, decimated the Grenadiers and the remnant
of the Scots, though they fought on to the death, and
a converging attack of a battalion from Down Hall
and another from Sheering drove them down into
the grounds of Durrington House, where fighting still
went on savagely for some time afterwards.

Von der Rudesheim had all but attained a portion of his
object, which was to establish his guns in such a position
that they could fire on the main body of the British troops
when they entered Sawbridgeworth by the Cambridge
Road. The place where the four guns with the Grenadiers
had been stationed was within 3000 yards of any part
of that road between Harlow and Sawbridgeworth.
But this spot was still exposed to the rifle fire of the
Seaforths who held Quickbury. Von der Rudesheim
therefore determined to swing forward his left, and either
drive them back down the hill towards the river, or at

299

300 THE INVASION OF 1910

least to so occupy them that he could bring up his field-
guns to their chosen position without losing too many of
his gunners.

By six o'clock, thanks to his enormous local superi-
ority in numbers, he had contrived to do this,
and now the opposing forces with the exception of the
British Grenadiers, who still fought with a German
battalion between Durrington House and Harlow,
faced each other north and south, instead of east and
west, as they were at the beginning of the fight.
Brigadier-General Lane-Edgeworth, who was in command
of the British, had been sending urgent messages for
reinforcements to the Dunmow Force, but when its
commanding officer finally decided to turn his full
strength in the direction of the firing, it took so long to
assemble and form up the Volunteer regiments who
composed the bulk of his command, that it was past
seven before the leading battalion had deployed to
assist in the attack which it was decided to make against
the German right. Meantime, other important events
had transpired.

Von der Rudesheim had found that the
battalion which was engaged with the Grenadiers
could not get near Harlow village, or either the river
or railway bridge at that place, both of which he wished
to destroy. But his scouts had reported a lock and
wooden footbridge immediately to the westward between
Harlow and Sawbridgeworth, just abreast of the large
wooded park surrounding Pishobury House on the
farther side. He determined to send two companies
over by this, their movements being hidden from the
English by the trees. After crossing, they found
themselves confronted by a backwater, but, trained
in crossing rivers, they managed to ford and swim over,
and advanced through the park towards Harlow Bridge.
While this was in progress, a large force was reported
marching south on the Cambridge Road.

While Von der Rudesheim, who was at the western
end of Sheering hamlet, was looking through his glasses

REPULSE OF THE GERMANS

301

at the new arrivals on the scene of action — who were
without doubt the main body of the Royston command,
which was retiring under the personal supervision of
Lord Byfield — a puff of white smoke rose above the
trees about Hyde Hall, and at top speed four heavily
loaded trains shot into sight going south. These were
the same ones that had brought down the Regular
British troops, with whom he was now engaged. They
had gone north again, and picked up a number of Volun-
teer battalions belonging to the retreating force just
beyond Bishop's Stortford. But so long a time had
been taken in entraining the troops in the darkness
and confusion of the retreat, that their comrades who
had kept to the road arrived almost simultaneously.
Von der Rudesheim signalled, and sent urgent orders
for his guns to be brought up to open fire on them, but
by the time the first team had reached him the last of
the trains had disappeared from sight into the cutting
at Harlow Station. But even now it was not too late
to open fire on the troops entering Sawbridgeworth,

Things were beginning to look somewhat bad for
Von der Rudesheim's little force. The pressure from
the north was increasing every moment, his attack
on the retreating troops had failed, he had not so far
been able to destroy the bridges at Harlow, and every
minute the likelihood of his being able to do so grew
more remote. To crown all, word was brought him
that the trains which had just slipped by were dis-
gorging men in hundreds along the railway west of
Harlow Station, and that these troops were beginning
to move forward as if to support the British Grenadiers,
who had been driven back towards Harlow. In fact,
he saw that there was even a possilibity of his being
surrounded. But he had no intention of discontinuing
the fight. He knew he could rely on the discipline
and mobility of his well-trained men under almost
any conditions, and he trusted, moreover, that the
promised reinforcements would not be very long in
turning up. But he could not hold on just where he

]

302 THE INVASION OF 1910

was. He accordingly, by various adroit manoeuvres,
threw back his right to Down Hall, whose copses and
plantations afforded a good deal of cover, and, using
this as a pivot, gradually wheeled back his left till he
had taken up a position running north and south from
Down Hall to Matching Tye. He had not effected
this difficult manoeuvre without considerable loss,
but he experienced less difficulty in extricating his
left than he had anticipated, since the newly arrived
British troops at Harlow, instead of pressing forward
against him, had been engaged in moving into a position
between Harlow and the hamlet of Foster Street, on
the somewhat elevated ground to the south of Matching,
which would enable them to cover the further march
of the main body of the retreating troops to Epping.

But he had totally lost the two companies he had
sent across the river to attack Harlow Bridge. Un-
fortunately for them, their arrival on the Harlow-
Sawbridgeworth Road synchronised with that of the
advanced guard of Lord Byfield's command. Some
hot skirmishing took place in and out among the trees
of Pishobury, and finally the Germans were driven to
earth in the big square block of the red-brick mansion
itself.

Here they made a desperate stand, fighting hard
as they were driven from one storey to another. The
staircases ran with blood, the woodwork smouldered
and threatened to burst into flame in a dozen places.
At length the arrival of a battery of field guns, which,
unlimbered at close range, induced the survivors to
surrender, and they were disarmed and carried off
as prisoners with the retreating army.

By the time Von der Rudesheim had succeeded
in taking up his new position it was past ten o'clock,
and he had been informed by despatches carried by
motor-cyclists that he might expect assistance in an-
other hour and a half.

The right column, consisting of the 39th Infantry

REPULSE OF THE GERMANS 303

Brigade of five battalions, six batteries, and a squadron
of Dragoons, came into collision with the left flank
of the Dunmow force, which was engaged in attacking
Von der Rudesheim's right at Down Hall, and endeavour-
ing to surround it. Sir Jacob Stellenbosch, who was in
command, in vain tried to change front to meet the
advancing enemy. His troops were nearly all Volunteers,
who were incapable of quickly manoeuvring under
difficult circumstances ; they were crumpled up and
driven back in confusion towards Hatfield Heath.
Had Von Kronhelm been able to get in the bulk of his
cavalry from their luckless pursuit of the 1st and Vth
British Army Corps, who had been driven back on
Brentwood the evening previous, and so send a propor-
tion with the 20th Division, few would have escaped
to tell the tale. As it was, the unfortunate Volunteers
were shot down in scores by the " feu d'enfer " with
which the artillery followed them up, and lay in twos
and threes and larger groups all over the fields, victims
of a selfish nation that accepted these poor fellows'
gratuitous services merely in order that its citizens
should not be obliged to carry out what in every other
European country was regarded as the first duty of
citizenship — that of learning to bear arms in the defence
of the Fatherland.

By this time the greater portion of the retreating
British Army, with all its baggage, guns, and impedi-
menta, was crawling slowly along the road from Harlow
to Epping. Unaccustomed as they were to marching,
the poor Volunteers, who had already covered eighteen
or twenty miles of road, were now toiling slowly and
painfully along the highway. The regular troops,
who had been engaged since early morning, and who
were now mostly in the neighbourhood of Moor Hall,
east of Harlow, firing at long ranges on Von der Rudes-
heim's men to keep them in their places while Sir Jacob
Stellenbosch attacked their right, were now hurriedly
withdrawn and started to march south by a track
running parallel to the main Epping Road, between it

304 THE INVASION OF 1910

and that along which the covering force of Volunteers,
who had come in by train, were now established in
position. The ist and 2nd Coldstreamers, who had
formed Lord Byfield's rear-guard during the night,
were halted in Harlow village.

Immediately upon the success obtained by his
right column, General Richel von Sieberg, who com-
manded the 20th Hanoverian Division, ordered his
two centre and left columns, consisting respectively of
the three battalions 77th Infantry and two batteries
of Horse Artillery, then at Matching Green, and the
three battalions 92nd Infantry, 10th Pioneer Battalion,
and five batteries Field Artillery, then between High
Laver and Tilegate Green, to turn to their left and
advance in fighting formation in a south-westerly
direction, with the object of attacking the sorely
harassed troops of Lord Ityneld on their way to Epping.

The final phase of this memorable retreat is best
told in the words of the special war correspondent
of the Daily Telegraph, who arrived on the scene at
about one o'clock in the afternoon :

"Epping, 5 p.m., September 9.

"Thanks to the secrecy preserved by the military
authorities, it was not known that Lord Byfield was
falling back from the Royston-Saffron Walden position
till seven this morning. By eight, I was off in my
car for the scene of action, for rumours of fighting
near Harlow had already begun to come in. I started
out by way of Tottenham and Edmonton, expecting
to reach Harlow by 9.30 or 10. But I reckoned without
the numerous military officials with whom I came in
contact, who constantly stopped me and sent me out
of my way on one pretext or another. I am sure I
hope that the nation has benefited by their proceedings.
In the end it was close on one before I pulled up at the
Cock Inn, Epping, in search of additional information,
because for some time I had been aware of the rumbling

REPULSE OF THE GERMANS 305

growl of heavy artillery from the east ward, "and wondered
what it might portend. I found that General Sir
Stapleton Forsyth, who commanded the Northern
section of the defences, had made the inn his head-
quarters, and there was a constant coming and going
of orderlies and staff-officers at its portals. Opposite,
the men of one of the new irregular corps, dressed in
dark green corduroy, blue flannel cricketing caps, and
red cummerbunds, sat or reclined in two long lines on
either side of their piled arms on the left of the wide
street. On inquiry I heard that the enemy were said
to be bombarding Kelvedon Hatch, and also that the
head of our retreating columns was only three or four
miles distant.

"I pushed on, and, after the usual interrogations
from an officer in charge of a picket, where the road ran
through the entrenchments about a mile farther on,
found myself spinning along through the country in
the direction of Harlow. As I began to ascend the
rising ground towards Potter Street I could hear a
continuous roll of artillery away to my right. I could
not distinguish anything except the smoke of shells
bursting here and there in the distance, on account of
the scattered trees which lined the maze of hedgerows
on every side. Close to Potter Street I met the head
of the retreating army. Very tired, heated, and foot-
sore looked the hundreds of poor fellows as they dragged
themselves along through the heat. It was a sultry
afternoon and the roads inches deep in dust.

"Turning to the right over Harlow Common, I met
another column of men. I noticed that these were all
Regulars, Grenadiers, Scots Guards, a battalion of
Highlanders, another of Riflemen, and, lastly, two
battalions of the Coldstreamers. These troops stepped
along with rather more life than the citizen soldiers
I had met previously, but still showed traces of their
hard marching and fighting. Many of them were
wearing bandages, but all the more seriously wounded
had been left behind to be looked after by the Germans.
20

3o6 THE INVASION OF 1910

All this time the firing was still resounding heavy and
constant from the north-east, and from one person and
another whom I questioned I ascertained that the enemy
were advancing upon us from that direction. Half a
mile farther on I ran into the middle of the fighting.
The road ran along the top of a kind of flat ridge or
upland, whence I could see to a considerable distance
on either hand.

"Partially sheltered from view by its hedges and
the scattered cottages forming the hamlet of Foster
Street was a long, irregular line of guns facing nearly
east. Beyond them were yet others directed north.
There were field batteries and big 4-7's. All were hard
at work, their gunners working like men possessed,
and the crash of their constant discharge was ear-
splitting. I had hardly taken this in when " Bang !
Bang ! Bang ! Bang ! " — four dazzling flashes opened
in the air overhead, and shrapnel bullets rattled on
earth, walls, and roofs, with a sound as of handfuls of
pebbles thrown on a marble pavement. But the hardness
with which they struck was beyond anything in my
experience.

" It was not pleasant to be here, but I ran my car
behind a little public-house that stood by the wayside,
and, dismounting, unslung my glasses and determined
to get what view of the proceedings I could from the
corner of the house. All round khaki-clad Volunteers
lined every hedge and sheltered behind every cottage,
while farther off, in the lower ground, from a mile to a
mile and a half away I could distinguish the closely
packed firing lines of the Germans advancing slowly
but steadily, despite the gaps made in their ranks by
the fire of our guns. Their own guns, I fancied I could
make out near Tilegate Green, to the north-east. Neither
side had as yet opened rifle fire. Getting into my car I
motored back to the main road, but it was so blocked
by the procession of wagons and troops of the retreating
army that I could not turn into it. Wheeling round I
made my way back to a parallel lane I had noticed, and

REPULSE OF THE GERMANS 307

308 THE INVASION OF 1910

turning to the left again at a smithy, found myself in
a road bordered by cottages and enclosures.^* Here I
found the Regular troops I had^lately met lining every
hedgerow and fence, while I could see others on a knoll
further to their left. There was a little church here,
and, mounting to the roof, I got a comparatively extensive
view. To my right the long, dusty column of men and
wagons still toiled along the Epping Road. In front,
nearly three miles off, an apparently solid line of woods
stretched along the horizon, surmounting a long, gradual,
and open slope. This was the position of our lines near
Epping, and the haven for which Lord Byfield's tired
soldiery were making. To the left the serried masses
of drab-clad German infantry still pushed aggressively
forward, their guns firing heavily over their heads.

"As I watched them three tremendous explosions
took place in their midst, killing dozens of them. Fire,
smoke, and dust rose up twenty feet in the air, while
three ear-splitting reports rose even above the rolling
thunder of the gunfire. More followed. I looked again
towards the woodland. Here I saw blaze after blaze
of fire among the dark masses of trees. Our big guns
in the fortifications had got to work, and were punishing
the Germans most severely, taking their attack in flank
with their big 6-inch and 7.5-inch projectiles. Cheers
arose all along our lines, as shell after shell, fired by
gunners who knew to an inch the distances to every
house and conspicuous tree, burst among the German
ranks, killing and maiming the invaders by hundreds.
The advance paused, faltered, and, being hurriedly
reinforced from the rear, once more went forward.

"But the big high explosive projectiles continued to
fall with such accuracy and persistence that the attackers
fell sullenly back, losing heavily as they did so. The
enemy's artillery now came in for attention, and also
was driven out of range with loss. The last stage in
the retreat of Lord Byfield's command was now secured.
The extended troops and guns gradually drew off from
their positions, still keeping a watchful eye on the foe,

REPULSE OF THE GERMANS 309

and by 4.30 all were within the Epping entrenchments.
All, that is to say, but the numerous killed and wounded
during the running fight that had extended along the
last seven or eight miles of the retreat, and the bulk
of the Dunmow force under Sir Jacob Stellenbosch,
which, with its commander, had, it was believed, been
made prisoners. They had been caught between the 39th
German Infantry Brigade and several regiments of cavalry,
that it was said had arrived from the northward soon
after they were beaten at Hatfield Heath. Probably
these were the advanced troops of General Frolich's
Cavalry Brigade."

CHAPTER III

BATTLE OF EPPING

The following is extracted from the Times of 15th
September : —

"Epping, 14th September, Evening.

" I have spent a busy day, but have no very important
news to record. After the repulse of the German troops
attacking Lord Byfield's retreating army and the arrival
of our sorely harassed troops behind the Epping en-
trenchments, we saw no more of the enemy that evening.
All through the night, however, there was the sound
of occasional heavy gun firing from the eastward. I
have taken up my quarters at the Bell, an inn at the
south end of the village, from the back of which I can
get a good view to the north-west for from two to four
miles. Beyond that distance the high ridge known as
Epping Upland limits the prospect. The whole terrain
is cut up into fields of various sizes and dotted all over
with trees. Close by is a lofty red brick water-tower,
which has been utilised by Sir Stapleton Forsyth as a
signal station. Away about a mile to my left front as
I look from the back of the Bell a big block of buildings
stands prominently out on a grassy spur of high ground.
This is Copped Hall and Little Copped Hall.

"Both mansions have been transformed into fortresses,
which, while offering little or no resistance to artillery
fire, will yet form a tough nut for the Germans to crack,
should they succeed in getting through our entrenchments
at that point. Beyond, I can just see a corner of a big

310

BATTLE OF EPPING

3ii

earthwork that has been built to strengthen the defence
line, and which has been christened Fort Obelisk, from
a farm of that name, near which it is situated. There
is another smaller redoubt on the slope just below this
hostelry, and I can see the gunners busy about the three
big khaki-painted guns which are mounted in it. There
are a 6-inch and two 4.7-inch guns, I believe. This
morning our cavalry, consisting of a regiment of yeo-
manry and some mounted infantry, who had formed
a portion of Lord Byfield's force, went out to reconnoitre
towards the north and east. They were not away
long, as they were driven back in every direction in
which they attempted to advance, by superior forces of
the enemy's cavalry, who seemed to swarm everywhere.

"Later on, I believe, some of the German reiters
became so venturesome that several squadrons exposed
themselves to the fire of the big guns in the fort at Skip's
Corner, and suffered pretty severely for their temerity.
The firing continued throughout the morning away to
the eastward, and about noon I thought I would run
down and see if I could find out anything about it. I
therefore mounted my car and ran off in that
direction. I found that there was a regular duel going on
between our guns at Kelvedon Hatch and some heavy
siege guns or howitzers that the enemy had got in the
neighbourhood of the high ground about Norton Heath,
only about 3000 yards distant from our entrenchments.
They did not appear to have done us much damage,
but neither, in all probability, did we hurt them very
much, since our gunners were unable to exactly locate
the hostile guns.

"When I got back to Epping, about three o'clock,
I found the wide single street full of troops. They were
those who had come in the previous afternoon with
Lord Byfield, and who, having been allowed to rest
till midday after their long righting march, were now
being told off to their various sections of the defence
line. The Guard regiments were allocated to the
northernmost position between Fort Royston and Fort

312 THE INVASION OF 1910

Skips. The rifles were to go to Copped Hall, and the
Seaforths to form the nucleus of a central reserve of
Militia and Volunteers, which was being established
just north of Gaynes Park. Epping itself and the
contiguous entrenchments were confided to the Leinster
Regiment, which alone of Sir Jacobs Stellenbosch's
brigade had escaped capture, supported by two Militia
battalions. The field batteries were distributed under
shelter of the woods on the south, east, and north-east
of the town.

"During the afternoon the welcome news arrived
that the remainder of Lord Byfield's command from
Baldock, Royston, and Elmdon had safely arrived
within our entrenchments at Enfield and New Barnet.
We may now hope that what with Regulars, Militia,
Volunteers, and the new levies, our lines are fully and
effectively "manned, and will suffice to stay the further
advance of even such a formidable host as is that at
the disposal of the renowned Von Kronhelm. It is
reported, too, from Brentwood that great progress has
already been made in reorganising and distributing
the broken remnants of the ist and 5th Armies that got
back to that town after the great and disastrous battle
of Chelmsford. Victorious as they were, the Germans
must also have suffered severely, which may give us
some breathing time before their next onslaught."

The following are extracts from a diary picked up
by a Daily Mirror correspondent, lying near the body
of a German officer after the fighting in the neighbour-
hood of Enfield Chase. It is presumed that the officer
in question was Major Splittberger, of the Kaiser Franz
Garde Grenadier Regiment, since that was the name
written inside the cover of the diary.

From inquiries that have since been instituted, it
is probable that the deceased officer was employed on
the staff of the General commanding the IVth Corps
of the invading Army, though it would seem from
the contents of his diary that he saw also a good deal

BATTLE OF EPPING

313

of the operations of the Xth Corps. Our readers will
be able to gather from it the general course of the
enemy's strategy and tactics during the time immedi-
ately preceding the most recent disasters which have
befallen our brave defenders. The first extract is dated
September 15, and was written somewhere north of
Epping :

" Sept. 15. — So far the bold strategy of our Com-
mander-in-Chief, in pushing the greater part of the
Xth Corps directly to the west immediately after our
victory at Chelmsford, has been amply justified by
results. Although we just missed cutting off Lord
Byfield and a large portion of his command at Harlow,
we gained a good foothold inside the British defences
north of Epping, and I don't think it will be long before
we have very much improved our position there. The
IVth Corps arrived at Harlow about midday yesterday
in splendid condition, after their long march from New-
market, and the residue of the Xth joined us about the
same time. As there is nothing like keeping the enemy
on the move, no time was lost in preparing to attack him
at the very earliest opportunity. As soon as it was dark
the IVth Corps got its heavy guns and howitzers into
position along the ridge above Epping Upland, and sent
the greater portion of its field batteries forward to a
position from which they were within effective range of
the British fortifications at Skip's Corner.

" The IXth Corps, which had arrived from Chelms-
ford that evening, also placed its field artillery in a
similar position, from which its fire crossed that of the
IVth Corps. This corps also provided the assaulting
troops. The Xth Corps, which had been engaged all
day on Thursday, was held in reserve. The howitzers
on Epping Upland opened fire with petrol shell on the
belt of woods that lies immediately in rear of the
position to be atacked, and with the assistance of a
strong westerly wind succeeded in setting them on fire
and cutting off the^most northerly section of the British
defences from reinforcement. This was soon after

314 THE INVASION OF 1910

midnight. The conflagration not only did us this
service, but it is supposed so attracted the attention of
the partially trained soldiers of the enemy that they
did not observe the IXth Corps massing for the assault.

" We then plastered their trenches with shrapnel
to such an extent that they did not dare to show a
ringer above them, and finally carried the northern
corner by assault. To give the enemy their due, they
fought well, but we outnumbered them five to one,
and it was impossible for them to resist the onslaught
of our well-trained soldiers. News came to-day that
the Saxons have been making a demonstration before
Brentwood with a view of keeping the British employed
down there so that they cannot send any reinforcements
up here. At the same time they have been steadily
bombarding Kelvedon Hatch from Norton Heath.

" We hear, too, that the Garde Corps have got down
south, and that their front stretches from Broxbourne
to Little Berkhamsted, while Frolich's Cavalry Division
is in front of them, spread all over the country, from
the River Lea away to the westward, having driven
the whole of the British outlying troops and patrols
under the shelter of their entrenchments. Once we
succeed in rolling up the enemy's troops in this quarter,
it will not be long before we are entering London."

" Sept. 16. — Fighting went on all yesterday in the
neighbourhood of Skip's Corner. We have taken
the redoubt at North Weald Basset and driven the
English back into the belt of burnt woodland, which
they now hold along its northern edge. All day long,
too, our big guns, hidden away behind the groves and
woods above Epping Upland, poured their heavy pro-
jectiles on Epping and its defences. We set the village
on fire three times, but the British contrived to ex-
tinguish the blaze on each occasion.

" I fancy Epping itself will be our next point of
attack.

"Sept. iy. — We are still progressing, fighting is
now all but continuous. How long it may last I have

BATTLE OF EPPING

315

no idea. Probably there will be no suspension of the
struggle until we are actually masters of the metropolis.
We took advantage of the darkness to push forward
our men to within three thousand yards of the enemy's
lines, placing them as far as possible under cover of
the numerous copses, plantations, and hedgerows which
cover the face of this fertile country. At 4 a.m. the

General ordered his staff to assemble at Latton Park,
where he had established his headquarters. He un-
folded to us the general outline of the attack, which,
he now announced, was to commence at six precisely.

" I thought myself that it was a somewhat inoppor-
tune time, as we should have the rising sun right in our
eyes ; but I imagine that the idea was to have as much
daylight as possible before us. For although we had

316 THE INVASION OF 1910

employed a night attack against Skip's Corner, and suc-
cessfully too, yet the general feeling in our Army has
always been opposed to operations of this kind. The
possible gain is, I think, in no way commensurable with
the probable risks of panic and disorder. The principal
objective was the village of Epping itself ; but simul-
taneous attacks were to be carried out against Copped
Hall, Fort Obelisk, to the west of it, and Fort Royston,
about a mile north of the village. The IXth Corps
was to co-operate by a determined attempt to break
through the English lining the burnt strip of woodland
and to assault the latter fort in rear. It was* necessary
to carry out both these flanking attacks in order to
prevent the main attack from being enfiladed from right
and left. At 5.30 we mounted, and rode off to Rye
Hill about a couple of miles distant, from which the
General intended to watch the progress of the opera-
tions. The first rays of the rising sun were filling the
eastern sky with a pale light as we cantered off, the long
wooded ridge on which the enemy had his position
standing up in a misty silhouette against the growing
day.

"As we topped Rye Hill I could see the thickly-
massed lines of our infantry crouching behind every
hedge, bank, or ridge, their rifle-barrels here and there
twinkling in the feeble rays of the early sun, their
shadows long and attenuated behind them. Epping
with its lofty red water-tower was distinctly visible
on the opposite side of the valley, and it is probable
that the movement of the General's cavalcade of officers,
with the escort, attracted the attention of the enemy's
lookouts, for half-way down the hillside on their side
of the valley a blinding violet-white flash blazed out,
and a big shell came screaming along just over our
heads, the loud boom of a heavy gun following fast on
its heels. Almost simultaneously another big pro-
jectile hurtled up from the direction of Fort Obelisk,
and burst among our escort of Uhlans with a deluge of
livid flame and thick volumes of greenish brown smoke.

BATTLE OF EPPING

317

It was a telling shot, for no fewer than six horses and
their riders lay in a shattered heap on the ground.

" At six precisely our guns fired a salvo directed
on Epping village. This was the preconcerted signal
for attack, and before the echoes of the thunderous
discharge had finished reverberating over the hills and
forest our front lines had sprung to their feet and were
moving at a racing pace towards, the enemy. For a
moment the British seemed stupefied by the suddenness
of the advance. A few rifle shots crackled out here and
there, but our men had thrown themselves to the ground
after their first rush before the enemy seemed to wake
up. But there was no mistake about it when they did.
Seldom have I seen such a concentrated fire. Gun,
pom-pom, machine gun, and rifle blazed out from right
to left along more than three miles of entrenchments.
A continuous lightning-like line of fire poured forth
from the British trenches, which still lay in shadow.
I could see the bullets raising perfect sand-storms in
places, the little pom-pom shells sparkling about all
over our prostrate men, and the shrapnel bursting all
along their front, producing perfect swathes of white
smoke, which hung low down in the still air in the valley.

" But our artillery was not idle. The field guns,
pushed well forward, showered shrapnel upon the
British position, the howitzer shells hurtled over our
heads on their way to the enemy in constantly increasing
numbers as the ranges were verified by the trial shots,
while a terrible and unceasing reverberation from the
north-east told of the supporting attack made by the
IXth and Xth Corps upon the blackened woods held
by the English. The concussion of the terrific cannon-
ade that now resounded from every quarter was
deafening ; the air seemed to pulse within one's ears,
and it was difficult to hear one's nearest neighbour
speak. Down in the valley our men appeared to be
suffering severely. Every forward move of the attacking
lines left a perfect litter of prostrate forms behind it, and
for some time I felt very doubtful in my own mind if

318 THE INVASION OF 1910

the attack would succeed. Glancing to the right,
however, I was encouraged to see the progress that had
been made by the troops detailed for the assault on
Copped Hall and Obelisk Fort, and, seeing this, it occurred
to me that it was not intended to push the central attack
on Epping home before its flank had been secured from
molestation from this direction. Copped Hall itself stood
out on a bare down almost like some mediaeval castle,
backed by the dark masses of forest, while to the west of
it the slopes of Fort Obelisk could barely be distinguished,
so flat were they and so well screened by greenery.

" But its position was clearly defined by the clouds
of dust, smoke, and debris constantly thrown up by
our heavy high-explosive shells, while ever and anon
there came a dazzling flash from it, followed by a detona-
tion that made itself heard even above the rolling of
the cannonade, as one of its big 7.5-in. guns was dis-
charged. The roar of their huge projectiles, too, as
they tore through the air, was easily distinguishable.
None of our epaulments were proof against them, and
they did our heavy batteries a great deal of damage
before they could be silenced.

" To cut a long story short, we captured Epping
after a tough fight, and by noon were in possession of
everything north of the Forest, including the war-
scarred ruins that now represented the mansion of
Copped Hall, and from which our pom-poms and
machine guns were firing into Fort Obelisk. But our
losses had been awful. As for the enemy, they could
hardly have suffered less severely, for though partially
protected by their entrenchments, our artillery fire must
have been utterly annihilating."

" Sept. 18. — Fighting went on all last night, the
English holding desperately on to the edge of the Forest,
our people pressing them close, and working round
their right flank. When day broke the general situation
was pretty much like this. On our left the IXth Corps
were in possession of the Fort at Toothill, and a redoubt
that lay between it and Skip's Fort. Two batteries

BATTLE OF EPPING

3i9

were bombarding a redoubt lower down in the direction
of Stanford Rivers, which was also subjected to a cross
fire from their howitzers near Ongar.

" As for the English, their position was an un-
enviable one. From Copped Hall — as soon as we have
cleared the edge of the Forest of the enemy's sharp-
shooters— we shall be able to take their entrenchments
in reverse all the way to Waltham Abbey. They have,
on the other hand, an outlying fort about a mile or two
north of the latter place, which gave us some trouble
with its heavy guns yesterday, and which it is most
important that we should gain possession of before we
advance further. The Garde Corps on the western side
of the River Lea is now, I hear, in sight of the enemy's
lines, and is keeping them busily employed, though
without pushing its attack home for the present.

" At daybreak this morning I was in Epping and
saw the beginning of the attack on the Forest. It is
rumoured that large reinforcements have reached the
enemy from London, but as these must be merely scratch
soldiers they will do them more harm than good in their
cramped position. The Xth Corps had got a dozen
batteries in position a little to the eastward of the village,
and at six o'clock these guns opened a tremendous fire
upon the north-east corner of the Forest, under cover of
which their infantry deployed down in the low ground
about Coopersale, and advanced to the attack. Petrol
shells were not used against the Forest, as Von Kronhelm
had given orders that it was not to be burned if it
could possibly be avoided. The shrapnel was very
successful in keeping down the fire from the edge
of the trees, but our troops received a good deal of
damage from infantry and guns that were posted to
the east of the Forest on a hill near They don Bois.
But about seven o'clock these troops were driven from
their position by a sudden flank attack made by the
IXth Corps from Theydon Mount. Von Kleppen followed
this up by putting some of his own guns up there, which
were able to fire on the edge of the Forest after those

320 THE INVASION OF 1910

of the Xth Corps had been masked by the close advance
of their infantry. To make a long story short, by ten
the whole of the Forest east of the London Road, as
far south as the cross roads near Jack's Hill, was in our
hands. In the meantime the IVth Corps had made itself
master of Fort Obelisk, and our gunners were hard at
work mounting guns in it with which to fire on the
outlying fort at Monkham's Hall. Von Kleppen was at
Copped Hall about this time, and with him I found
General Von Wilberg, commanding the Xth Corps,
in close consultation. The once fine mansion had been
almost completely shot away down to its lower storey.
A large portion of this, however, was still fairly intact,
having been protected to a certain extent by the masses
of masonry that had fallen all around it, and also by the
thick ramparts of earth that the English had built up
against its exposed side.

" Our men were still firing from its loopholes at
the edge of the woods, which were only about 1200
yards distant, and from which bullets were continually
whistling in by every window. Two of our battalions
had dug themselves in in the wooded park surrounding
the house, and were also exchanging fire with the English
at comparatively close ranges. They had, I was told,
made more than one attempt to rush the edge of the
Forest, but had been repulsed by rifle fire on each
occasion. Away to the west I could see for miles, and
even distinguish our shells bursting all over the enemy's
fort at Monkham's Hall, which was being subjected to
a heavy bombardment by our guns on the high ground
to the north of it. About eleven Frolich's Cavalry
Brigade, whose presence was no longer required in front
of the Garde Corps, passed through Epping, going south-
east. It is generally supposed that it is either to attack
the British at Brentwood in the rear, or, which I think
is more probable, to intimidate the raw levies by its
presence between them and London, and to attack them
in flank should they attempt to retreat.

" Just after eleven another battalion arrived at

BATTLE OF EPPING

321

Copped Hall from Epping, and orders were given that
the English position along the edge of the Forest was
to be taken at all cost. Just before the attack began
there was a great deal of firing somewhere in the interior
of the Forest, presumably between the British and the
advanced troops of the Xth Corps. However this may
have been, it was evident that the enemy were holding
our part of the Forest much less strongly, and our assault
was entirely successful, with but small loss of men.
Once in the woods, the superior training and discipline
of our men told heavily in their favour. While the mingled
mass of Volunteers and raw free-shooters, of which the
bulk of their garrison was composed, got utterly dis-
organised and out of hand under the severe strain on
them that was imposed by the difficulties of wood
fighting, and hindered and broke up the regular units,
our people were easily kept well in hand, and drove
the enemy steadily before them without a single check.
The rattle of rifle and machine gun was continuous
through all the leafy dells and glades of the wood, but
by two o'clock practically the whole Forest was in the
hands of our Xth Corps. It was then the turn of the
IVth Corps, who in the meantime, far from being idle, had
massed a large number of their guns at Copped Hall, from
which, aided by the fire from Fort Obelisk, the enemy's
lines were subjected to a bombardment that rendered
them absolutely untenable, and we could see company
after company making their way to Waltham Abbey.

" At three the order for a general advance on Waltham
Abbey was issued. As the enemy seemed to have few,
if any, guns at this place, it was determined to make
use of some of the new armoured motors that accompanied
the Army. Von Kronhelm, who was personally directing
the operations from Copped Hall, had caused each corps
to send its motors to Epping, so that we had something
like thirty at our disposal. These quaint, grey monsters
came down through the Forest and advanced on Epping
by two parallel roads, one passing by the south of Warlies
Park, the other being the main road from Epping. It
21

322 THE INVASION OF 1910

was a weird sight to see these shore-going armour-clads
flying down upon the enemy. They got within 800
yards of the houses, but the enemy contrived to block
their further advance by various obstacles which they
placed on the roads.

" There was about an hour's desperate fighting in
the village. The old Abbey Church was set on fire by
a stray shell, the conflagration spreading to the neigh-
bouring houses, and both British and Germans being
too busy killing each other to put it out, the whole
village was shortly in flames. The British were finally
driven out of it, and across the river by five o'clock. In
the meantime every heavy gun that could be got to bear
was directed on the fort at Monkham's Hall, which,
during the afternoon, was also made the target for the
guns of the Garde Corps, which co-operated with us by
attacking the lines at Cheshunt, and assisting us with
its artillery fire from the opposite side of the river. By
nightfall the fort was a mass of smoking earth, over
which fluttered our black cross flag, and the front of
the IVth Corps stretched from this to Gillwell Park, four
miles nearer London.

" The Xth Corps was in support in the Forest behind
us, and forming also a front to cover our flank, reaching
from Chingford to Buckhurst Hill. The enemy was
quite demoralised in this direction, and showed no
indication of resuming the engagement. As for the
IXth Corps, its advanced troops were at Lambourne End,
in close communication with General Frolich, who had
established his headquarters at Haveringatte-Bower.
We have driven a formidable wedge right into the middle
of the carefully elaborated system of defence arranged
by the English Generals, and it will now be a miracle
if they can prevent our entry into the capital.

" We had not, of course, effected this without great
loss in killed and wounded, but you can't make puddings
without breaking eggs, and in the end a bold and forward
policy is more economical of life and limb than attempting
to avoid necessary losses as our present opponents did

BATTLE OF EPPING

323

in South Africa, thereby prolonging the war to an almost
indefinite period, and losing many more men by sickness
and in driblets than would have been the case if they
had followed a more determined line in their strategy
and tactics. Just before the sun sank behind the masses
of new houses which the monster city spreads out to the
northward I got orders to carry a despatch to General
von Wilberg, who was stated to be at Chingford, on
our extreme left. I went by the Forest road, as the
parallel one near the river was in most parts under fire
from the opposite bank.

" He had established his headquarters at the Foresters'
Inn, which stands high up on a wooded mound, and
from which he could see a considerable distance and
keep in touch with his various signal stations. He took
my despatch, telling me that I should have a reply to
take back later on. ' In the meanwhile,' said he, ' if
you will fall in with my staff you will have an opportunity
of seeing the first shots fired into the biggest city in the
world.' So saying, he went out to his horse, which was
waiting outside, and we started off down the hill with
a great clatter. After winding about through a somewhat
intricate network of roads and by-lanes we arrived at
Old Chingford Church, which stands upon a species of
headland, rising boldly up above the flat and, in some
places, marshy land to the westward.

" Close to the church was a battery of four big
howitzers, the gunners grouped around them silhouetted
darkly against the blood-red sky. From up here the
vast city, spreading out to the south and west, lay like a
grey, sprawling octopus spreading out ray-like to the
northward, every rise and ridge being topped with a
bristle of spires and chimney-pots. An ominous silence
seemed to brood over the teeming landscape, broken
only at intervals by the dull booming of guns from
the northward. Long swathes of cloud and smoke lay
athwart the dull, furnace-like glow of the sunset, and
lights were beginning to sparkle out all over the vast
expanse which lay before us mirrored here and there in

324 THE INVASION OF 1910

the canals and rivers that ran almost at our feet.
' Now,' said Von Wilberg at length, ' commence fire.'
One of the big guns gave tongue with a roar that
seemed to make the church tower quiver above us.
Another and another followed in succession, their big
projectiles hurtling and humming through the quiet
evening air on their errands of death and destruction in I
know not what quarter of the crowded suburbs. It seemed
to me a cruel and needless thing to do, but I am told
that it was done with the set purpose of arousing such
a feeling of alarm and insecurity in the East End that
the mob might try to interfere with any further measures
for defence that the British military authorities might
undertake. I got my despatch soon afterwards and
returned with it to the General, who was spending the
night at Copped Hall. There, too, I got myself a shake-
down and slumbered soundly till the morning.

" Sept. 19. — To-day we have, I think, finally broken
down all organised military opposition in the field,
though we may expect a considerable amount of street
fighting before reaping the whole fruits of our victories.
At daybreak we began by turning a heavy fire from
every possible quarter on the wooded island formed by
the river and various back-waters just north of Waltham
Abbey. The poplar-clad islet, which was full of the
enemy's troops, became absolutely untenable under this
concentrated fire, and they were compelled to fall back
over the river. Our Engineers soon began their bridging
operations behind the wood, and our infantry, crossing
over, got close up to a redoubt on the further side and
took it by storm. Again we were able to take a con-
siderable section of the enemy's lines in reverse, and as
they were driven out by our fire, against which they had
no protection, the Garde Corps advanced, and by ten
were in possession of Cheshunt.

" In the meanwhile, covered by the fire of the guns
belonging to the IXth and Xth Corps, other bridges had
been thrown across the Lea at various points between
Waltham and Chingford, and in another hour the crossing

BATTLE OF EPPING

325

began. The enemy had no good positions for his guns,
and seemed to have very few of them. He had pinned
his faith upon the big weapons he had placed in his
entrenchments, and these were now of no further use
to him. He had lost a number of his field guns, either
from damage or capture, and with our more numerous
artillery firing from the high ground on the eastern bank
of the river we were always able to beat down any
attempt he made to reply to their fire.

" We had a day of fierce fighting before us. There
was no manoeuvring. We were in a wilderness of
scattered houses and occasional streets, in which the
enemy contested our progress foot by foot. Edmonton,
Enfield Wash, and Waltham Cross were quickly captured ;
our artillery commanded them too well to allow the
British to make a successful defence ; but Enfield itself,
lying along a steepish ridge, on which the British had
assembled what artillery they could scrape together,
cost us dearly. The streets of this not too lovely
suburban town literally ran with blood when at last we
made our way into it. A large part of it was burnt to
ashes, including unfortunately the ancient palace of
Queen Elizabeth, and the venerable and enormous cedar
tree that overhung it.

" The British fell back to a second position they had
apparently prepared along a parallel ridge further to
the westward, their left being between us and New
Barnet and their right at Southgate.

" We did not attempt to advance further to-day,
but contented ourselves in reorganising our forces and
preparing against a possible counter-attack, by barricad-
ing and entrenching the further edge of Enfield Ridge.

" Sept. 20. — We are falling in immediately, as it has
been decided to attack the British position at once.
Already the artillery duel is in progress. I must con-
tinue to-night, as my horse is at the door."

The writer, however, never lived to complete his
diary, having been shot half-way up the green slope he
had observed the day previous.

CHAPTER IV

BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON

Day broke. The faint flush of violet away eastward
beyond Temple Bar gradually turned rose, heralding
the sun's coming, and by degrees the streets, filled by
excited Londoners, grew lighter with the dawn. Fevered
night thus gave place to day — a day that was, alas !
destined to be one of bitter memory for the British
Empire.

Alarming news had spread that Uhlans had been
seen reconnoitring in Snaresbrook and Wanstead, had
ridden along Forest Road and Ferry Lane at Waltham-
stow, through Tottenham High Cross, up High Street,
Hornsey, Priory Road, and Muswell Hill. The Germans
were actually upon London !

The northern suburbs were staggered. In Fortis
Green, North End, Highgate, Crouch End, Hampstead,
Stamford Hill, and Leyton the quiet suburban houses
were threatened, and many people, in fear of their lives,
had now fled southward into central London. Thus
the huge population of greater London was practically
huddled together in the comparatively small area from
Kensington to Fleet Street, and from Oxford Street to
the Thames Embankment.

People of Fulham, Putney, Walham Green, Hammer-
smith, and Kew had, for the most part, fled away to the
open country across Hounslow Heath to Bedfont and
Staines ; while Tooting, Balham, Dulwich, Streatham,
Norwood, and Catford had retreated farther south into
Surrey and Kent.

326

BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON 327

For the past three days thousands of willing helpers
had followed the example of Sheffield and Birmingham,
and constructed enormous barricades, obstructing at
various points the chief roads leading from the north
and east into London. Detachments of Engineers had
blown up several of the bridges carrying the main roads
out eastwards — for instance, the bridge at the end of
Commercial Road, East, crossing the Limehouse Canal,
while the six other smaller bridges spanning the canal
between that point and the Bow Road were also destroyed.
The bridge at the end of Bow Road itself was shattered,
and those over the Hackney Cut at Marshall Hill and
Hackney Wick were also rendered impassable.

Most of the bridges across the Regent's Canal were
also destroyed, notably those in Mare Street, Hackney,
the Kingsland Road, and New North Road, while a
similar demolition took place in Edgware Road and the
Harrow Road. Londoners were frantic, now that
the enemy were really upon them. The accounts of
the battles in the newspapers had, of course, been
merely fragmentary, and they had not yet realised
what war actually meant. They knew that all business
was at a standstill, that the City was in an uproar, that
there was no work, and that food was at famine prices.
But not until German cavalry were actually seen scouring
the northern suburbs did it become impressed upon
them that they were really helpless and defenceless.

London was to be besieged !

This report having got about, the people began
building barricades in many of the principal thorough-
fares north of the Thames. One huge obstruction,
built mostly of paving-stones from the footways, over-
turned tramcars, wagons, railway trollies, and barbed
wire, rose in the Holloway Road, just beyond Highbury
Station. Another blocked the Caledonian Road a few
yards north of the police-station, while another very
large and strong pile of miscellaneous goods, bales of
wool and cotton stuffs, building material, and stones
brought from the Great Northern Railway depot, ob-

328 THE INVASION OF 1910

structed the Camden Road at the south corner of Hildrop
Crescent. Across High Street, Camden Town, at the
junction of the Kentish Town and other roads, five
hundred men worked with a will, piling together every
kind of ponderous object they could pillage from the
neighbouring shops — pianos, iron bedsteads, wardrobes,
pieces of calico and flannel, dress stuffs, rolls of carpets,
floorboards, even the very doors wrenched from their
hinges — until, when it reached to the second storey
window and was considered of sufficient height, a pole
was planted on top, and from it hung limply a small
Union Jack.

The Finchley Road, opposite Swiss Cottage Station,
in Shoot Up-hill, where Mill Lane runs into it ; across
Willesden Lane, where it joins the High Road in Kilburn ;
the Harrow Road close to Willesden Junction Station;
at the junction of the Goldhawk and Uxbridge roads ;
across the Hammersmith Road in front of the Hospital,
other similar obstructions were placed with a view to
preventing the enemy from entering London. At a
hundred other points, in the narrower and more obscure
thoroughfares, all along the north of London, busy
workers were constructing similar defences, houses and
shops being ruthlessly broken open and cleared of their
contents by the frantic and terrified populace.

London was in a ferment. Almost without exception
the gunmakers' shops had been pillaged, and every
rifle, sporting gun, and revolver seized. The armouries
at the Tower of London, at the various barracks, and
the factory out at Enfield had long ago all been cleared
of their contents ; for now, in this last stand, every one
was desperate, and all who could obtain a gun, did so.
Many, however, had guns but no ammunition ; others
had sporting ammunition for service rifles, and others
cartridges, but no gun.

Those, however, who had guns and ammunition
complete mounted guard at the barricades, being assisted
at some points by Volunteers who had been driven
in from Essex. Upon more than one barricade in North

BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON 329

London a Maxim had been mounted, and was now
pointed, ready to sweep away the enemy should they
advance.

Other thoroughfares barricaded, beside those men-
tioned, were the Stroud Green Road, where it joins
Hanley Road ; the railway bridge in the Oakfield Road
in the same neighbourhood ; the Wightman Road,
opposite Harringay Station, the junction of Archway
Road and Highgate Hill; the High Road, Tottenham,
at its junction with West Green Road, and various
roads around the New River reservoirs, which were
believed to be one of the objectives of the enemy. These
latter were very strongly held by thousands of brave
and patriotic citizens, though the East London reservoirs
across at Walthamstow could not be defended, situated
so openly as they were. The people of Leytonstone
threw up a barricade opposite the schools in the High
Road, while in Wanstead a hastily constructed but
perfectly useless obstruction was piled across Cambridge
Park, where it joins the Blake Road.

Of course, all the women and children in the northern
suburbs had now been sent south. Half the houses
in those quiet, newly-built roads were locked up, and
their owners gone ; for as soon as the report spread of
the result of the final battle before London and our
crushing defeat, people living in Highgate, Hampstead,
Crouch End, Hornsey, Tottenham, Finsbury Park,
Muswell Hill, Hendon, and Hampstead saw that they
must fly southward, now the Germans were upon
them.

Think what it meant to those suburban families of
City men ! The ruthless destruction of their pretty,
long-cherished homes, flight into the turbulent, noisy,
distracted, hungry city, and the loss of everything
they possessed. In most cases the husband was already
bearing his part in the defence of the metropolis with
gun or with spade, or helping to move heavy masses of
material for the construction of the barricades. The
wife, however, was compelled to take a last look at all

330 THE INVASION OF 1910

those possessions that she had so fondly called " home,"
lock her front door, and with her children join in those
long mournful processions moving ever southward into
London, tramping on and on — whither she knew not
where.

Touching sights were to be seen everywhere in the
streets that day.

Homeless women, many of them with two or three
little ones, were wandering through the less frequented
streets, avoiding the main roads with all their crush,
excitement, and barricade-building, but making their
way westward, beyond Kensington and Hammersmith,
which was now become the outlet of the metropolis.

All trains from Charing Cross, Waterloo, London
Bridge, Victoria, and Paddington had for the past
three days been crowded to excess. Anxious fathers
struggled fiercely to obtain places for their wives, mothers,
and daughters — sending them away anywhere out of the
city which must in a few hours be crushed beneath the
iron heel.

The South- Western and Great Western systems
carried thousands upon thousands of the wealthier
away to Devonshire and Cornwall — as far as possible
from the theatre of war ; the South-Eastern and Chat-
ham took people into the already crowded Kentish towns
and villages, and the Brighton line carried others into
rural Sussex. London overflowed southward and west-
ward until every village and every town within fifty
miles was so full that beds were at a premium, and
in various places, notably at Chartham, near Canter-
bury, at Willesborough, near Ashford, at Lewes, at
Robertsbridge, at Goodwood Park, and at Horsham,
huge camps were formed, shelter being afforded by poles
and rick-cloths. Every house, every barn, every school,
indeed every place where people could obtain shelter
for the night, was crowded to excess, mostly by women
and children sent south, away from the horrors that it
was known must come.

Central London grew more turbulent with each hour

BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON 331

that passed. There were all sorts of wild rumours, but,
fortunately the Press still preserved a dignified calm.
The Cabinet were holding a meeting at Bristol, whither
the Houses of Commons and Lords had moved, and all
depended upon its issue. It was said that Ministers were
divided in their opinions whether we should sue for an
ignominious peace, or whether the conflict should be con-
tinued to the bitter end.

Disaster had followed disaster, and iron-throated
orators in Hyde and St. James's Parks were now shout-
ing " Stop the war ! Stop the war ! " The cry was
taken up but faintly, however, for the blood of Lon-
doners, slow to rise, had now been stirred by seeing
their country slowly, yet completely, crushed by Ger-
many. All the patriotism latent within them was now
displayed. The national flag was shown everywhere,
and at every point one heard " God Save the King ! "
sung lustily.

Two gunmakers' shops in the Strand, which had
hitherto escaped notice, were shortly after noon broken
open, and every available arm and all the ammunition
seized. One man, unable to obtain a revolver, snatched
half a dozen pairs of steel handcuffs, and cried with
grim humour as he held them up : " If I can't shoot
any of the sausage-eaters, I can at least bag a prisoner
or two ! "

The banks, the great jewellers, the diamond mer-
chants, the safe-deposit offices, and all who had valuables
in their keeping, were extremely anxious as to what
might happen. Below those dark buildings in Lothbury
and Lombard Street, behind the black walls of the Bank
of England, and below every branch bank all over
London, were millions in gold and notes, the wealth
of the greatest city the world has ever known. The
strong rooms were, for the most part, the strongest
that modern engineering could devise, some with various
arrangements by which all access was debarred by an
inrush of water ; but, alas ! dynamite is a great leveller,
and it was felt that not a single strong room in the whole

332 THE INVASION OF 1910

of London could withstand an organised attack by Ger-
man engineers.

A single charge of dynamite would certainly make
a breach in concrete upon which a thief might hammer
and chip day and night for a month without making
much impression. Steel doors must give to blasting
force, while the strongest and most complicated locks
would also fly to pieces.

The directors of most of the banks had met, and an
endeavour had been made to co-operate and form a
corps of special guards for the principal offices. In
fact, a small armed corps was formed, and were on duty
day and night in Lothbury, Lombard Street, and the
vicinity. Yet what could they do if the Germans swept
into London ? There was but little to fear from the
excited populace themselves,because matters had assumed
such a crisis that money was of little use, as there was
practically very little to buy. But little food was reach-
ing London from the open ports on the west. It was
the enemy that the banks feared, for they knew that
the Germans intended to enter and sack the metropolis,
just as they had sacked the other towns that had refused
to pay the indemnity demanded.

Small jewellers had, days ago, removed their stock
from their windows and carried it away in unsuspicious-
looking bags to safe hiding in the southern and western
suburbs, where people for the most part hid their valuable
plate, jewellery, etc., beneath a floor-board, or buried
them in some marked spot in their small gardens.

The hospitals were already full of wounded from
the various engagements of the past week. The London,
St. Thomas's, Charing Cross, St. George's, Guy's, and
Bartholemew's were overflowing ; and the surgeons, with
patriotic self-denial, were working day and night in an
endeavour to cope with the ever-arriving crowd of
suffering humanity. The field hospitals away to the
northward were also reported full.

The exact whereabouts of the enemy was not known.
They were, it seemed, everywhere. They had pratically

BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON 333

overrun the whole country, and the reports from the
Midlands and the North snowed that the majority of
the principal towns had now been occupied.

The latest reverses outside London, full and graphic
details of which were now being published hourly by
the papers, had created an immense sensation. Every-
where people were regretting that Lord Roberts' solemn
warnings in 1906 had been unheeded, for had we adopted
his scheme for universal service such dire catastrophe
could never have occurred. Many had, alas ! declared it
to be synonymous with conscription, which it certainly
was not, and by that foolish argument had prevented the
public at large from accepting it as the only means of
our salvation as a nation. The repeated warnings had
been disregarded, and we had, unhappily, lived in a
fool's paradise, in the self-satisfied belief that England
could not be successfully invaded.

Now, alas ! the country had realised the truth when
too late.

That memorable day, September 20, witnessed
exasperated struggles in the northern suburbs of London,
passionate and bloody collisions, an infantry fire of
the defenders overwhelming every attempted assault ; and
a decisive action of the artillery, with regard to which
arm the superiority of the Germans, due to their perfect
training, was apparent.

A last desperate stand had, it appears, been made
by the defenders on the high ridge north-west of New
Barnet, from Southgate to near Potter's Bar, where a
terrible fight had taken place. But from the very first it
was utterly hopeless. The British had fought valiantly
in defence of London, but here again they were out-
numbered, and after one of the most desperate conflicts
in the whole campaign — in which our losses were
terrible — the Germans at length had succeeded in
entering Chipping Barnet. It was a difficult move-
ment, and a fierce contest, rendered the more terrible
by the burning houses, ensued in the streets and away
across the low hills southward — a struggle full of

334 THE INVASION OF 1910

vicissitudes and alternating successes, until at last the
fire of the defenders was silenced, and hundreds of
prisoners fell into the German hands.

Thus the last organised defence of London had been
broken, and the barricades alone remained.

The work of the German troops on the lines of com-
munication in Essex had for the past week been fraught
with danger. Through want of cavalry the British had
been unable to make cavalry raids ; but, on the other
hand, the difficulty was enhanced by the bands of
sharpshooters — men of all classes from London who
possessed a gun and who could shoot. In one or two
of the London clubs the suggestion had first been mooted
a couple of days after the outbreak of hostilities, and it
had been quickly taken up by men who were in the
habit of shooting game, but . had not had a military
training.

Within three days about two thousand men had
formed themselves into bands to take part in the
struggle and assist in the defence of London. They
were practically similar to the Francs-tireurs of the
Franco-German War, for they went forth in companies
and waged a guerilla warfare, partly before the front
and at the flanks of the different armies, and partly
at the communications at the rear of the Germans.
Their position was one of constant peril in face of Von
Kronhelm's proclamation, yet the work they did was
excellent, and only proved that if Lord Roberts' scheme
for universal training had been adopted the enemy
would never have reached the gates of London with
success.

These brave, adventurous spirits, together with
" The Legion of Frontiersmen," made their attacks
by surprise from hiding-places or from ambushes.
Their adventures were constantly thrilling ones.
Scattered all over the theatre of war in Essex and
Suffolk, and all along the German lines of communica-
tion, the " Frontiersmen " rarely ventured on an open
conflict, and frequently changed scene and point of

BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON 335

attack. Within one week their numbers rose to over
8000, and, being well served by the villagers, who acted
as scouts and spies for them, the Germans found them
very difficult to get at. Usually they kept their arms
concealed in thickets and woods, where they would
lie in wait for the Germans. They never came to close
quarters, but fired at a distance. Many a smart Uhlan
fell by their bullets, and many a sentry dropped, shot
by an unknown hand.

Thus they harassed the enemy everywhere. At need
they concealed their arms and assumed the appear-
ance of inoffensive non-combatants. But when caught
red-handed, the Germans gave them " short shrift,"
as the bodies now swinging from telegraph poles on
various high roads in Essex testified.

In an attempt to put a stop to the daring actions
of the " Frontiersmen," the German authorities and
troops along the lines of communication punished the
parishes where German soldiers were shot, or where the
destruction of railways and telegraphs had occurred,
by levying money contributions, or by burning the
villages.

The guerilla war was especially fierce along from
Edgware up to Hertford, and from Chelmsford down
to the Thames. In fact, once commenced, it never
ceased. Attacks were always being made upon small
patrols, travelling detachments, mails of the field post-
office, posts or patrols at stations on the lines of
communication, while field-telegraphs, telephones, and
railways were everywhere destroyed.

In consequence of the railway being cut at Pitsea,
the villages of Pitsea, Bowers Gifford, and Vange had
been burned. Because a German patrol had been
attacked and destroyed near Orsett, the parish were
compelled to pay a heavy indemnity. Upminster near
Romford, Theydon Bois, and Fyfield, near High Ongar,
had all been burned by the Germans for the same
reason ; while at the Cherry tree Inn, near Rainham,
five "Frontiersmen" being discovered by Uhlans in a

336 THE INVASION OF 1910

hay loft asleep, were locked in and there burned
alive. Dozens were, of course, shot at sight, and
dozens more hanged without trial. But they were
not to be deterred. They were righting in defence of
London, and around the northern suburbs the patriotic
members of the " Legion " were specially active, though
they never showed themselves in large bands.

Within London every man who could shoot game
was now anxious to join in the fray, and on the day
that the news of the last disaster reached the metropolis,
hundreds left for the open country out beyond Hendon.

The enemy, having broken down the defence at
Enfield and cleared the defenders out of the fortified
houses, had advanced and occupied the northern ridges
of London in a line stretching roughly from Pole Hill,
a little to the north of Chingford, across Upper Edmon-
ton, through Tottenham, Hornsey, Highgate, Hamp-
stead, and Willesden, to Twyford Abbey. All the
positions had been well reconnoitred, for at grey of
dawn the rumbling of artillery had been heard in the
streets of those places already mentioned, and soon
after sunrise strong batteries were established upon all
the available points commanding London.

These were at Chingford Green, on the left-hand
side of the road opposite the inn at Chingford; on
Devonshire Hill, Tottenham ; on the hill at Wood Green ;
in the grounds of the Alexandra Palace ; on the high
ground above Churchyard Bottom Wood ; on the edge
of Bishop's Wood, Highgate ; on Parliament Hill, at
a spot close to the Oaks on the Hendon road ; at Dollis
Hill, and at a point a little north of Wormwood Scrubs,
and at Neasden, near the railway works.

The enemy's chief object was to establish their
artillery as near London as possible, for it was known
that the range of their guns even from Hampstead —
the highest point, 441 feet above London — would not
reach into the actual city itself. Meanwhile, at dawn the
German cavalry, infantry, motor-infantry, and armoured
motor-cars — the latter mostly 35-40 h.p. Opel-Darracqs,

BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON 337

with three quick-firing guns mounted in each, and
bearing the Imperial German arms in black — advanced
up the various roads leading into London from the
north, being met, of course, with a desperate resistance
at the barricades.

On Haverstock Hill, the three Maxims, mounted
upon the huge obstruction across the road, played

havoc with the Germans, who were at once compelled
to fall back, leaving piles of dead and dying in the
roadway, for the terrible hail of lead poured out upon
the invaders could not be withstood. Two of the
German armoured motor-cars were presently brought
into action by the Germans, who replied with a rapid
fire, this being continued for a full quarter of an hour
without result on either side. Then the Germans,
22

338 THE INVASION OF 1910

finding the defence too strong, again retired into Hamp-
stead, amid the ringing cheers of the valiant men holding
that gate of London. The losses of the enemy had been
serious, for the whole roadway was now strewn with
dead; while behind the huge wall of paving - stones,
overturned carts, and furniture, only two men had been
killed and one wounded.

Across in the Finchley Road a struggle equally as fierce
was in progress ; but a detachment of the enemy,
evidently led by some German who had knowledge of
the intricate side-roads, suddenly appeared in the rear
of the barricade, and a fierce and bloody hand-to-hand
conflict ensued. The defenders, however, stood their
ground, and with the aid of some petrol bombs which
they held in readiness, they destroyed the venturesome
detachment almost to a man, though a number of
houses in the vicinity were set on fire, causing a huge
conflagration.

In Highgate Road the attack was a desperate one,
the enraged Londoners fighting valiantly, the men with
arms being assisted by the populace themselves. Here
again deadly petrol bombs had been distributed, and
men and women hurled them against the Germans.
Petrol was actually poured from windows upon the
heads of the enemy, and tow soaked in paraffin and lit
flung in among them, when in an instant whole areas of
the streets were ablaze, and the soldiers of the Fatherland
perished in the roaring flames.

Every device to drive back the invader was tried.
Though thousands upon thousands had left the northern
suburbs, many thousands still remained bent on defend-
ing their homes as long as they had breath. The crackle
of rifles was incessant, and ever and anon the dull roar
of a heavy field gun and the sharp rattle of a Maxim
mingled with the cheers, yells, and shrieks of victors
and of vanquished.

The scene on every side was awful. Men were
fighting for their lives in desperation.

Around the barricade in Holloway Road the street

BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON 339

ran with blood ; while in Kingsland, in Clapton, in
West Ham, and Canning Town the enemy were making
an equally desperate attack, and were being repulsed
everywhere. London's enraged millions, the Germans
were well aware, constituted a grave danger. Any
detachments who carried a barricade by assault — as,
for instance, they did one in the Hornsey Road near the
station — were quickly set upon by the angry mob and
simply wiped out of existence.

Until nearly noon desperate conflicts at the barri-
cades continued. The defence was even more effectual
than was expected ; yet, had it not been that Von
Kronhelm, the German generalissimo, had given orders
that the troops were not to attempt to advance into
London before the populace were cowed, there was
no doubt that each barricade could have been taken in
the rear by companies avoiding the main roads and
proceeding by the side streets.

Just before noon, however, it was apparent to Von
Kronhelm that to storm the barricades would entail
enormous losses, so strong were they. The men holding
them had now been reinforced in many cases by regular
troops, who had come in in flight, and a good many
guns were now manned by artillerymen.

Von Kronhelm had established his headquarters at
Jack Straw's Castle, from which he could survey the
giant city through his field-glasses. Below lay the
great plain of roofs, spires, and domes, stretching away
into the grey mystic distance, where afar rose the twin
towers and double arches of the Crystal Palace roof.

London — the great London — the capital of the world
— lay at his mercy at his feet.

The tall, thin-faced General, with the grizzled
moustache and the glittering cross at his thoat, standing
apart from his staff, gazed away in silence and in thought.
It was his first sight of London, and its gigantic pro-
portions amazed even him. Again he swept the horizon
with his glass, and knit his grey brows. He remembered
the parting woods of his Emperor as he backed out of

340 THE INVASION OF 1910

that plainly - furnished little private cabinet at Pots-
dam :

" You must bombard London, and sack it. The
pride of those English must be broken at all costs. Go,
Kronhelm — go — and may the best of fortune go with
you ! "

The sun was at the noon causing the glass roof of
the distant Crystal Palace to gleam. Far down in the
grey haze stood Big Ben, the Campanile, and a thousand
church spires, all tiny and, from that distance, insignifi-
cant. From where he stood the sound of crackling fire
at the barricades reached him, and a little behind him
a member of his staff was kneeling on the grass with
his ear bent to the field telephone. Reports were coming
in fast of the desperate resistance in the streets, and these
were duly handed to him.

He glanced at them, gave a final look at the out-
stretched city that was the metropolis of the world, and
then gave rapid orders for the withdrawal of the troops
from the assault of the barricades, and the bombardment
of London.

In a moment the field-telegraphs were clicking,
the telephone bell was ringing, orders were shouted in
German in all directions, and next second, with a deafen-
ing roar, one of the howitzers of the battery in the close
vicinity to him gave tongue and threw its deadly shell
somewhere into St. John's Wood.

The rain of death had opened ! London was sur-
rounded by a semicircle of fire.

The great gun was followed by a hundred others as,
at all the batteries along the northern heights, the
orders were received. Then in a few minutes, from the
whole line from Chingford to Willesden, roughly about
twelve miles, came a hail of the most deadly of modern
projectiles directed upon the most populous parts of the
metropolis.

Though the Germans trained their guns to carry as
far as was possible, the zone of fire did not at first, it
seemed, extend farther south than a line roughly taken

BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON 341

from Notting Hill through Bayswater, past Paddington
Station, along the Marylebone and Euston Roads, then
up to Highbury, Stoke Newington, Stamford Hill, and
Walthamstow.

When, however, the great shells began to burst in
Holloway, Kentish Town, Camden Town, Kilburn,
Kensal Green, and other places lying within the area
under fire, a frightful panic ensued. Whole streets
were shattered by explosions, and fires were breaking
out, the dark clouds of smoke obscuring the sunlit sky.
Roaring flames shot up everywhere, unfortunate men,
women, and children were being blown to atoms by the
awful projectiles, while others distracted sought shelter in
any cellar or underground place they could find, while
their houses fell about them like packs of cards.

The scenes within that zone of terror were inde-
scribable.

When Paris had been bombarded years ago, artillery
was not at the perfection it now was, and there had been
no such high explosive known as in the present day. The
great shells that were falling everywhere, on bursting
filled the air with poisonous fumes, as well as with deadly
fragments. One bursting in a street would wreck the
rows of houses on either side, and tear a great hole in
the ground at the same moment. The fronts of the
houses were torn out like paper, the iron railings twisted
as though they were wire, and paving-stones hurled
into the air like straws.

Anything and everything offering a mark to the
enemy's guns was shattered. St. John's Wood and the
houses about Regent's Park suffered seriously. A
shell from Hampstead, falling into the roof of one of
the houses near the centre of Sussex Place, burst and
shattered nearly all the houses in the row ; while another
fell in Cumberland Terrace, and wrecked a dozen houses
in the vicinity. In both cases the houses were mostly
empty, for owners and servants had fled southward
across the river as soon as it became apparent that the
Germans actually intended to bombard.

THE INVASION OF 1910

At many parts in Maida Vale shells burst with ap-
palling effect. Several of the houses in Elgin Avenue
had their fronts torn out, and in one, a block of flats,
there was considerable loss of life in the fire that broke
out, escape being cut off owing to the stairs having
been demolished by the explosion. Abbey Road, St.
John's Wood Road, Acacia Road, and Wellington Road
were quickly wrecked.

In Chalk Farm Road, near the Adelaide, a terrified
woman was dashing across the street to seek shelter
with a neighbour when a shell burst right in front of
her, blowing her to fragments ; while in the early stage
of the bombardment a shell bursting in the Midland
Hotel at St. Pancras caused a fire which in half an hour
resulted in the whole hotel and railway terminus being
a veritable furnace of flame. Through the roof of
King's Cross Station several shells fell, and burst close
to the departure platform. The whole glass roof was
shattered, but beyond that little other material damage
resulted.

Shots were now falling everywhere, and Londoners
were staggered. In dense, excited crowds they were
flying southward towards the Thames. Some were
caught in the streets in their flight, and were flung
down, maimed and dying. The most awful sights
were to be witnessed in the open streets : men and
women blown out of recognition, with their clothes
singed and torn to shreds, and helpless, innocent
children lying white and dead, their limbs torn away
and missing.

Euston Station had shared the same fate as St.
Pancras, and was blazing furiously, sending up a great
column of black smoke that could be seen by all London.
So many were the conflagrations now breaking out that
it seemed as though the enemy were sending into London
shells filled with petrol, in order to set the streets aflame.
This, indeed, was proved by an eye-witness, who saw
a shell fall in Liverpool Road, close to the Angel. It
burst with a bright red flash, and next second the whole

BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON 343

of the roadway and neighbouring houses were blazing
furiously.

Thus the air became black with smoke and dust,
and the light of day obscured in Northern London.
And through that obscurity came those whizzing shells
in an incessant hissing stream, each one, bursting in
these narrow, thickly-populated streets, causing havoc
indescribable, and a loss of life impossible to accurately
calculate. Hundreds of people were blown to pieces
in the open, but hundreds more were buried beneath
the debris of their own cherished homes, now being so
ruthlessly destroyed and demolished.

On every side was heard the cry : " Stop the war —
stop the war ! "

But it was, alas ! too late — too late.

Never in the history of the civilised world were there
such scenes of reckless slaughter of the innocent and
peace-loving as on that never-to-be-forgotten day when
Von Kronhelm carried out the orders of his Imperial
master, and struck terror into the heart of London's
millions.

CHAPTER V

THE RAIN OF DEATH

Through the whole afternoon the heavy German
artillery roared, belching forth their fiery vengeance
upon London.

Hour after hour they pounded away, until St. Pancras
Church was a heap of ruins, and the Foundling Hospital
a veritable furnace, as well as the Parcel Post offices
and the University College in Gower Street. In Hamp-
stead Road many of the shops were shattered, and in
Tottenham Court Road both Maple's and Shoolbred's
suffered severely, for shells bursting in the centre of
the roadway had smashed every pane of glass in the
fronts of both buildings.

The quiet squares of Bloomsbury were, in some cases,
great yawning ruins — houses with their fronts torn
out revealing the shattered furniture within. Streets
were, indeed, filled with tiles, chimney pots, fallen
telegraph wires, debris of furniture, stone steps, paving
stones, and fallen masonry. Many of the thorough-
fares, such as the Pentonville-Road, Copenhagen Street,
and Holloway Road, were, at points, quite impassable
on account of the ruins that blocked them. Into the
Northern Hospital, in the Holloway Road, a shell fell,
shattering one of the wards, and killing or maiming
every one of the patients in the ward in question, while
the church in Tufnell Park Road was burning fiercely.
Upper Holloway, Stoke Newington, Highbury, Kings-
land, Dalston, Hackney, Clapton, and Stamford Hill
were being swept at long range by the guns on Muswell

344

THE RAIN OF DEATH

345

Hill and Churchyard Bottom Hill, and the terror caused
in those densely populated districts was awful. Hundreds
upon hundreds lost their lives, or else had a hand, an
arm, a leg blown away, as those fatal shells fell in never-
ceasing monotony, especially in Stoke Newington and
Kingsland. The many side roads lying between Hollo -
way Road and Finsbury Park, such as Hornsey Road,
Tollington Park, Andover, Durham, Palmerston,
Campbell, and Forthill Roads, Seven Sisters Road, and
Isledon Road were all devastated, for the guns for a
full hour seemed to be trained upon them.

The German gunners in all probability neither
knew nor cared where their shells fell. From their
position, now that the smoke of the hundreds of fires
was now rising, they could probably discern but little.
Therefore the batteries at Hampstead Heath, Muswell
Hill, Wood Green, Cricklewood, and other places simply
sent their shells as far distant south as possible into the
panic-stricken city below. In Mountgrove and Riversdale
Roads, Highbury Vale, a number of people were killed,
while a frightful disaster occurred in the church at the
corner of Park Lane and Milton Road, Stoke Newington.
Here a number of people had entered, attending a
special service for the success of the British arms, when
a shell exploded on the roof, bringing it down upon them
and killing over fifty of the congregation, mostly women.

The air, poisoned by the fumes of the deadly explos-
ives and full of smoke from the burning buildings, was
ever and anon rent by explosions as projectiles frequently
burst in mid-air. The distant roar was incessant, like
the noise of thunder, while on every hand could be
heard the shrieks of defenceless women and children,
or the muttered curses of some man who saw his home
and all he possessed swept away with a flash and a cloud
of dust. Nothing could withstand]that awful cannonade.
Walthamstow had been rendered untenable in the first
half-hour of the bombardment, while in Tottenham
the loss of life had been very enormous, the German
gunners at Wood Green having apparently turned

346 THE INVASION OF 1910

their first attention upon that place. Churches, the
larger buildings, the railway station, in fact anything
offering a mark, was promptly shattered, being assisted
by the converging fire from the batteries at Chingford.

On the opposite side of London, Notting Hill,
Shepherd's Bush, and Starch Green were being reduced
to ruins by the heavy batteries above Park Royal
Station, which, firing across Wormwood Scrubs, put
their shots into Notting Hill, and especially into Holland
Park, where widespread damage was quickly wrought.

A couple of shells falling into the generating station
of the Central London Railway, or " Tube," as Londoners
usually call it, unfortunately caused a disaster and loss
of life which were appalling. At the first sign of the
bombardment many thousands of persons descended
into the " tube " as a safe hiding-place from the rain
of shell. At first the railway officials closed the doors
to prevent the inrush, but the terrified populace in
Shepherd's Bush, Bayswater, Oxford Street, and Hol-
born, in fact, all along the subterranean line, broke
open the doors, and descending by the lifts and stairs
found themselves in a place which at least gave them
security against the enemy's fire.

The trains had long ago ceased running, and every
station was crowded to excess, while many were forced
upon the line itself and actually into the tunnels. For
hours they waited there in eager breathlessness, longing
to be able to ascend and find the conflict over. Men
and women in all stations of life were huddled together,
while children clung to their parents in wonder ; yet as
hour after hour went by, the report from above was still
the same — the Germans had not ceased.

Of a sudden, however, the light failed. The electric
current had been cut off by the explosion of the shells
in the generating station at Shepherd's Bush, and the
lifts were useless ! The thousands who, in defiance of
the orders of the company, had gone below at Shepherd's
Bush for shelter, found themselves caught like rats in a
hole. True, there was the faint glimmer of an oil light

THE RAIN OF DEATH

347

here and there, but, alas ! that did not prevent an awful
panic.

Somebody shouted that the Germans were above
and had put out the lights, and when it was found that
the lifts were useless a panic ensued that was indescrib-
able. The people could not ascend by the stairs, as they
were blocked by the dense crowd, therefore they pressed
into the narrow semi-circular tunnels in an eager en-
deavour to reach the next station, where they hoped
they might escape ; but once in there women and children
were quickly crushed to death, or thrown down and
trampled upon by the press behind.

In the darkness they fought with each other, pressing
on and becoming jammed so tightly that many were
held against the sloping walls until life was extinct.
Between Shepherd's Bush and Holland Park Stations
the loss of life was worst, for being within the zone of
the German fire the people had crushed in frantically
in thousands, and with one accord a move had
unfortunately been made into the tunnels, on account
of the foolish cry that the Germans were waiting
above.

The railway officials were powerless. They had
done their best to prevent anyone going below, but
the public had insisted, therefore no blame could be
laid upon them for the catastrophe.

At Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, and Tottenham
Court Road Stations, a similar scene was enacted, and
dozens upon dozens, alas ! lost their lives in tie panic.
Ladies and gentlemen from Park Lane, Crosvenor
Square, and Mayfair had sought shelter at Marble
Arch Station rubbing shoulders with labourers' wives
and costerwomen from the back streets of Mar\lebone.
When the lights failed, a rush had been made into the
tunnel to reach Oxford Circus, all exit by the stairs
being blocked, as at Shepherd's Bush, on account of
the hundreds struggling to get down.

As at Holland Park, the terrified crowd fighting with
each other became jammed and suffocated jn the narrow

348 THE INVASION OF 1910

space. The catastrophe was a frightful one, for it was
afterwards proved that over four hundred and twenty-
persons, mostly weak women and children, lost their
lives in those twenty minutes of darkness before the
mains at the generating station, wrecked by the explo-
sions, could be repaired.

Then, when the current came up again, the lights
revealed the frightful mishap, and people struggled to
emerge from the burrows wherein they had so narrowly
escaped death.

Upon the Baker Street and Waterloo and other
"tubes" every station had also been beseiged. The
, whole of the first-mentioned line from north to south was
the refuge of thousands, who saw in it a safe place for
retreat. The tunnels of the District Railway, too, were
filled with terror-stricken multitudes, who descended
at every station and walked away into a subterranean
place of safety. No trains had been running for
several days, therefore there was no danger from that
cause.

Meanwhile the bombardment continued with unceas-
ing activity.

The Marylebone station of the Great Central Railway,
and the Treat Central Hotel, which seemed to be only
just within the line of fire, were wrecked, and about
four o'clock it was seen that the hotel, like that at
St. Panci as, was well alight, though no effort could be
made to save it. At the first two or three alarms of
fire the I ,etropolitan Fire Brigade had turned out, but
now that fresh alarms were reaching the chief station
every moment, the brigade saw themselves utterly
powerless to even attempt to save the hundred build-
ings, gr^at and small, now furiously blazing.

Gasometers, especially those of the Gas Light and
Coke Company at Kensal Green, were marked by the
German gunners, who sent them into the air; while a
well-directed petrol bomb at Wormwood Scrubs Prison
set one great wing of the place alight, and the prisoners
were therefore released. The rear of Kensington Palace,

THE RAIN OF DEATH

349

and the fronts of a number of houses in Kensington
Palace Gardens were badly damaged, while in the dome
of the Albert Hall was a great, ugly hole.

Shortly after five o'clock occurred a disaster which
was of national consequence. It could only have been
a mishap on the part of the Germans, for they would
certainly never have done such irreparable damage
willingly, as they destroyed what would otherwise have
been the most valuable of loot.

Shots suddenly began to fall fast in Bloomsbury,
several of them badly damaging the Hotel Russell and
the houses near, and it was therefore apparent that
one of the batteries which had been firing from near
Jack Straw's Castle had been moved across to Parlia-
ment Hill, or even to some point south of it, which
gave a wider range to the fire.

Presently a shell came high through the air and fell
full upon the British Museum, striking it nearly in the
centre of the front, and in exploding carried away the
Grecian-Ionic ornament, and shattering a number of the
fine stone columns of the dark facade. Ere people in
the vicinity had realised that the national collection of
antiques was within the range of the enemy's destructive
projectiles, a second shell crashed into the rear of
the building, making a great gap in the walls. Then,
as although all the guns of that particular battery had
converged in order to destroy our treasure-house of
art and antiquity, shell after shell crashed into the place
in rapid succession. Before ten minutes had passed,
grey smoke began to roll out from beneath the long
colonnade in front, and growing denser, told its own
tale. The British Museum was on fire.

Nor was that all. As though to complete the disaster
— although it was certain that the Germans were in
ignorance — there came one of those terrible shells rilled
with petrol, which, bursting inside the manuscript room,
set the whole place ablaze. In a dozen different places
the building seemed to be now alight, especially the
library, and thus the finest collection of books, manu-

350 THE INVASION OF 1910

scripts, Greek and Roman and Egyptian antiques,
coins, medals, and prehistoric relics, lay at the mercy
of the flames.

The fire brigade was at once alarmed, and at
imminent risk of their lives, for shells were still falling
in the vicinity, they, with the Salvage Corps and the
assistance of many willing helpers — some of whom un-
fortunately lost their lives in the flames — saved what-
ever could be saved, throwing the objects out into the
railed-off quadrangle in front.

The left wing of the Museum, however, could not
be entered, although after most valiant efforts on the
part of the firemen the conflagrations that had broken
out in other parts of the building were at length sub-
dued. The damage was, however, irreparable, for
many unique collections, including all the prints and
drawings, and many of the mediaeval and historic manu-
scripts, had already been consumed.

Shots now began to fall as far south as Oxford Street,
and all along that thoroughfare from Holborn as far
as Oxford Circus, widespread havoc was being wrought.
People fled for their lives back towards Charing Cross
and the Strand. The Oxford Music Hall was a hopeless
ruin, while a shell crashing through the roof of Frascati's
restaurant, carried away a portion of the gallery and
utterly wrecked the whole place. Many of the shops
in Oxford Street had their roofs damaged or their fronts
blown out, while a huge block of flats in Great Russell
Street was practically demolished by three shells striking
in rapid succession.

Then, to the alarm of all who realised it, shots were
seen to be passing high over Bloomsbury, south towards
the Thames. The range had been increased, for, as was
afterwards known, some heavier guns had now been
mounted upon Muswell Hill and Hampstead Heath,
which, carrying to a distance of from six to seven miles,
placed the City, the Strand, and Westminster i within
the zone of fire. The zone in question stretched roughly
from Victoria Park through Bethnal Green and White-

THE RAIN OF DEATH

351

chapel, across to Southwark, the Borough, Lambeth,
and Westminster to Kensington, and while the fire upon
the northern suburbs slackened, great shells now came
flying through the air into the very heart of London.

The German gunners at Muswell Hill took the dome
of St. Paul's as a mark, for shells fell constantly in
Ludgate Hill, in Cheapside, in Newgate Street, and in
the churchyard itself. One falling upon the steps of
the Cathedral tore out two of the columns of the front,
while another striking the clock tower just below the
face, brought down much of the masonry and one of
the huge bells, with a deafening crash, blocking the
road with debris. Time after time the great shells went
over the splendid Cathedral, which the enemy seemed
bent upon destroying, but the dome remained un-
injured, though about ten feet of the top of the second
tower was carried away.

On the Cannon Street side of St. Paul's a great block
of drapery warehouses had caught fire, and was burning
fiercely, while the drapers' and other shops on the
Paternoster Row side all had their windows shattered
by the constant detonations. Within the cathedral two
shells that had fallen through the roof had wrought
havoc with the beautiful reredos and choir-stalls, many
of the fine windows being also wrecked by the explosions.

Whole rows of houses in Cheapside suffered, while
both the Mansion House, where the London flag was
flying, and the Royal Exchange were severely damaged
by a number of shells which fell in the vicinity. The
equestrian statue in front of the Exchange had been
overturned, while the Exchange itself showed a great
yawning hole in the corner of the fagade next Cornhill.
At the Bank of England a fire had occurred, but had
fortunately been extinguished by the strong force of
Guards in charge, though they gallantly risked their lives
in so doing. Lothbury, Gresham Street, Old Broad
Street, Lombard Street, Gracechurch Street, and Leaden-
hall Street were all more or less scenes of fire, havoc, and
destruction. The loss of life was not great in this

352 THE INVASION OF 1910

neighbourhood, for most people had crossed the river
or gone westward, but the high explosives used by the
Germans were falling upon the shops and warehouses
with appalling effect.

Masonry was torn about like paper, ironwork twisted
like wax, woodwork shattered to a thousand splinters as,
time after time, a great projectile hissed in the air and
effected its errand of destruction. A number of the
wharves on each side of the river were soon alight, and
both Upper and Lower Thames Streets were soon im-
passable on account of huge conflagrations. A few shells
fell in Shoreditch, Houndsditch, and Whitechapel, and
these, in most cases, caused loss of life in those densely
populated districts.

Westward, however, as the hours went on, the
howitzers at Hampstead began to drop high ex-
plosive shells into the Strand, around Charing Cross,
and in Westminster. This weapon had a calibre of
4.14 inches, and threw a projectile of 35 lb. The
tower of St. Clement Dane's Church crashed to the
ground and blocked the roadway opposite Milford Lane ;
the pointed roof of the clock-tower of the Law Courts
was blown away, and the granite fronts of the two
banks opposite the Law Courts entrance were torn out
by a shell which exploded in the footpath before
them.

Shells fell, time after time, in and about the Law
Courts themselves, committing immense damage to the
interior, while a shell bursting upon the roof of Charing
Cross Station, rendered it a ruin as picturesque as it had
been in December 1905. The National Liberal Club
was burning furiously ; the Hotel Cecil and the Savoy
did not escape, but no material damage was done them.
The Garrick Theatre had caught fire, a shot carried
away the globe above the Coliseum, and the Shot Tower
beside the Thames crashed into the river.

The front of the Grand Hotel in Trafalgar Square
showed, in several places, great holes where the shell
had struck, and a shell bursting at the foot of Nelson's

THE RAIN OF DEATH

353

monument turned over one of the lions — overthrowing
the emblem of Britain's might !

The clubs in Pall Mall were, in one or two instances,
wrecked, notably the Reform, the Junior Carlton, and
the Athenaeum, into each of which shells fell through
the roof and exploded within.

From the number of projectiles that fell in the
vicinity of the Houses of Parliament it was apparent
that the German gunners could see the Royal Standard
flying from the Victoria Tower, and were making it
their mark. In the west front of Westminster Abbey
several shots crashed, doing enormous damage to the
grand old pile. The hospital opposite was set alight,
while the Westminster Palace Hotel was severely
damaged, and two shells falling into St. Thomas's
Hospital created a scene of indescribable terror in one
of the overcrowded casualty wards.

Suddenly one of the German high explosive shells
burst on the top of the Victoria Tower, blowing away all
four of the pinnacles, and bringing down the flagstaff.
Big Ben served as another mark for the artillery at
Muswell Hill, for several shots struck it, tearing out one
of the huge clock faces and blowing away the pointed
apex of the tower. Suddenly, however, two great
shells struck it right in the centre, almost simultaneously,
near the base, and made such a hole in the huge pile of
masonry that it was soon seen to have been rendered
unsafe, though it did not fall.

Shot after shot struck other portions of the Houses
of Parliament, breaking the windows and carrying away
pinnacles.

One of the twin towers of Westminster Abbey fell
a few moments later, and another shell, crashing into
the choir, completely wrecked Edward the Confessor's
shrine, the Coronation chair, and all the objects of
antiquity in the vicinity.

The old Horse Guards escaped injury, but one of the
cupolas of the new War Office opposite was blown away,
while shortly afterwards a fire broke out in the new

354 THE INVASION OF 1910

Local Government Board and Education Offices. Number
10 Downing Street, the chief centre of the Government,
had its windows all blown in — a grim accident, no doubt
— the same explosion shattering several windows in
the Foreign Office.

Many shells fell in St. James's and Hyde Parks,
exploding harmlessly, but others, passing across St.
James's Park, crashed into that high building, Queen
Anne's Mansions, causing fearful havoc. Somerset
House, Covent Garden Market, Drury Lane Theatre,
and the Gaiety Theatre and Restaurant all suffered more
or less, and two of the bronze footguards guarding the
Wellington Statue at Hyde Park Corner were blown
many yards away. Around Holborn Circus immense
damage was being caused, and several shells bursting
on the Viaduct itself blew great holes in the bridge.

So widespread, indeed, was the havoc, that it is
impossible to give a detailed account of the day's terrors.
If the public buildings suffered, the damage to property
of householders and the ruthless wrecking of quiet
English homes may well be imagined. The people
had been driven out from the zone of fire, and had left
their possessions to the mercy of the invaders.

South of the Thames very little damage was done.
The German howitzers and long-range guns could not
reach so far. One or two shots fell in York Road,
Lambeth, and in the Waterloo and Westminster Bridge
Roads, but they did little damage beyond the breaking
of all the windows in the vicinity.

When would it end ? Where would it end ?

Half the population of London had fled across the
bridges, and from Denmark Hill, Champion Hill, Nor-
wood, and the Crystal Palace they could see the smoke
issuing from the hundred fires.

London was cowed. Those northern barricades,
still held by bodies of valiant men, were making a last
desperate stand, though the streets ran with blood.
Every man fought well and bravely for his country,
though he went to his death. A thousand acts of

THE RAIN OF DEATH

355

gallant heroism on the part of Englishmen were done
that day, but, alas ! all to no purpose. The Germans
were at our gates, and were not to be denied.

As daylight commenced to fade the dust and smoke
became suffocating. And yet the guns pounded away
with a monotonous regularity that appalled the helpless
populace. Overhead there was a quick whizzing in the
air, a deafening explosion, and as masonry came crash-
ing down the atmosphere was rilled with poisonous
fumes that half asphyxiated all those in the vicinity.

Hitherto the enemy had treated us, on the whole,
humanely, but finding that desperate resistance in the
northern suburbs, Von Kronhelm was carrying out
the Emperor's parting injunction. He was breaking
the pride of our own dear London, even at the sacrifice
of thousands of innocent lives.

The scenes in the streets within that zone of awful
fire baffled description. They were too sudden, too
dramatic, too appalling. Death and destruction were
everywhere, and the people of London now realised for
the first time what the horrors of war really meant.

Dusk was falling. Above the pall of smoke from
the burning buildings the sun was setting with a blood-
red light. From the London streets, however, this
evening sky was darkened by the clouds of smoke and
dust. Yet the cannonade continued, each shell that
came hurtling through the air exploding with deadly
effect and spreading destruction on all hands.

Meanwhile the barricades at the north had not
escaped Von Kronhelm's attention. About four o'clock
he gave orders by field telegraph for certain batteries
to move down and attack them.

This was done soon after five o'clock, and when the
German guns began to pour their deadly rain of shell
into those hastily improvised defences there commenced
a slaughter of the gallant defenders that was horrible.
At each of the barricades shell after shell was directed,
and very quickly breaches were made. Then upon the
defenders themselves the fire was directed — a withering,

356 THE INVASION OF 1910

awful fire from quick-firing guns which none could
withstand. The streets, with their barricades swept
away, were strewn with mutilated corpses. Hundreds
upon hundreds had attempted to make a last stand,
rallied by the Union Jack they waved above, but a
shell exploding in their midst had sent them to instant
eternity.

Many a gallant deed was done that day by patriotic
Londoners in defence of their homes and loved ones —
many a deed that should have earned the V.C. — but in
nearly all cases the patriot who had stood up and faced
the foe had gone to straight and certain death.

Till seven o'clock the dull roar of the guns in the
north continued, and people across the Thames knew
that London was still being destroyed, nay pulverised.
Then with one accord came a silence — the first silence
since the hot noon.

Von Kronhelm's field telegraph at Jack Straw's
Castle had ticked the order to cease firing.

All the barricades had been broken.

London lay burning — at the mercy of the German
eagle.

And as the darkness fell the German Commander-
in-Chief looked again through his glasses, and saw the
red flames leaping up in dozens of places, where whole
blocks of shops and buildings, public institutions, whole
streets in some cases, were being consumed.

London — the proud capital of the world, the " home "
of the Englishman — was at last ground beneath the iron
heel of Germany !

And all, alas ! due to one cause alone — the careless
insular apathy of the Englishman himself !

CHAPTER VI

FALL OF LONDON

Outside London the September night had settled
down on the blood-stained field of battle. With a pale
light the moon had risen, partly hidden by chasing
clouds, her white rays mingling with the lurid glare of
the fires down in the great terrified metropolis below.
Northward, from Hampstead across to Barnet —
indeed, over that wide district where the final battle
had been so hotly fought — the moonbeams shone upon
the pallid faces of the fallen.

Along the German line of investment there had
now followed upon the roar of battle an uncanny
silence.

Away to the west, however, there was still heard
the growling of distant conflict, now mounting into a
low crackling of musketry fire, and again dying away in
muffled sounds. The last remnant of the British Army
was being hotly pursued in the direction of Staines.

London was invested and bombarded, but not yet
taken.

For a long time the German Field-Marshal had stood
alone upon Hampstead Heath apart from his staff,
watching the great tongues of flame leaping up here
and there in the distant darkness. His grey, shaggy
brows were contracted, his thin aquiline face thought-
ful, his hard mouth twitching nervously, unable to
fully conceal the strain of his own feelings as conqueror
of the English. Von Kronhelm's taciturnity had long
ago been proverbial. The Kaiser had likened him to

357

358 THE INVASION OF 1910

Moltke, and declared that " he could be silent in seven
languages." His gaze was one of musing, and yet he
was the most active of men, and perhaps the cleverest
strategist in all Europe. Often during the campaign
he had astonished his aides-de-camp by his untiring
energy, for sometimes he would even visit the outposts
in person. On many occasions he had actually crept
up to the most advanced posts at great personal risk
to himself, so anxious had he been to see with his own
eyes. Such visits from the Field-Marshal himself were
not always exactly welcome to the German outposts,
who, as soon as they showed the least sign of com-
motion consequent upon the visit, were at once swept
by a withering English fire.

Yet he now stood there — the conqueror. And
while many of his officers were installing themselves
in comfortable quarters in houses about North End,
North Hill, South Hill, Muswell Hill, Roslyn Hill,
Fitzjohn's Avenue, Netherhall, and Maresfield Gardens,
and other roads in that vicinity, the great Commander
was still alone upon the Heath, having taken nothing
save a nip from his flask since his coffee at dawn.

Time after time telegraphic despatches were handed
to him from Germany, and telephonic reports from his
various positions around London, but he received them
all without comment. He read, he listened, but he
said nothing.

For a full hour he remained there, strolling up and
down alone in quick impatience. Then, as though
suddenly making up his mind, he called three members
of his staff, and gave orders for the entry into London.

This, as he knew, was the signal for a terrible and
bloody encounter. Bugles sounded. Men and officers,
who had believed that the storm and stress of the day
were over, and that they were entitled to rest, found
themselves called upon to fight their way into the city
that they knew would be defended by an irate and
antagonistic populace.

Still, the order had been given, and it must be

FALL OF LONDON

359

obeyed. They had expected that the advance would
be at least made at dawn, but evidently Von Kronhelm
feared that six hours' delay might necessitate more
desperate fighting. He intended, now that London
was cowed, that she should be entirely crushed. The
orders of his master the Kaiser were to that effect.

Therefore, shortly before nine o'clock the first
detachments of German Infantry marched along
Spaniards Road, and down Roslyn Hill to Haverstock
Hill, where they were at once fired upon from behind
the debris of the great barricade across the junction
of Prince of Wales Road and Haverstock Hill. This
place was held strongly by British Infantry, many
members of the Legion of Frontiersmen, — distinguished
only by the little bronze badge in their buttonholes, —
and also by hundreds of citizens armed with rifles.

Twenty Germans dropped at the first volley, and
next instant a Maxim, concealed in the first floor of a
neighbouring house, spat forth its fire upon the in-
vaders with deadly effect. The German bugle sounded
the " Advance rapidly," and the men emulously ran
forward, shouting loud hurrahs. Major von Wittich,
who had distinguished himself very conspicuously
in the fighting around Enfield Chase, fell, being shot
through the lung when just within a few yards of the
half -ruined barricade. Londoners were fighting desper-
ately, shouting and cheering. The standard-bearer
of the 4th Battalion of the Brunswick Infantry Regiment,
No. 92, fell severely wounded, and the standard was
instantly snatched from him in the awful hand-to-hand
fighting which that moment ensued.

Five minutes later the streets were running with
blood, for hundreds, both Germans and British, lay
dead and dying. Every Londoner struggled valiantly
until shot down; yet the enemy, already reinforced,
pressed forward, until ten minutes later the defenders
were driven out of their position, and the house from
which the Maxim was sending forth its deadly hail had
been entered and the gun captured. Volley after volley

360 THE INVASION OF 1910

was still, however, poured out on the heads of the
storming party, but already the pioneers were at work
clearing a way for the advance, and very soon the
Germans had surmounted the obstruction and were
within London.

For a short time the Germans halted, then, at a
signal from their officers, they moved forward along
both roads, again being fired upon from every house
in the vicinity, many of the defenders having retired
to continue their defence from the windows. The
enemy therefore turned their attention to these houses,
and after desperate struggles house after house was
taken, those of the defenders not wearing uniform
being shot down without mercy. To such no quarter
was given.

The contest now became a most furious one. Britons
and Germans fought hand to hand. A battalion of
the Brunswick Infantry with some riflemen of the
Guard took several houses by rush in Chalk Farm Road ;
but in many cases the Germans were shot by their own
comrades. Quite a number of the enemy's officers
were picked off by the Frontiersmen, those brave
fellows who had seen service in every corner of the
world, and who were now in windows and upon roofs.
Thus the furious fight from house to house proceeded.

This exciting conflict was practically characteristic
of what was at that moment happening in fifty other
spots along the suburbs of North London. The obstinate
resistance which we made against the Germans was
met with equally obstinate aggression. There was
no surrender. Londoners fell and died fighting to the
very last.

Against those well-trained Teutons in such over-
whelming masses we, however, could have no hope of
success. The rushes of the infantry and rifles of the
Guards were made skilfully, and slowly but surely
broke down all opposition.

The barricade in the Kentish Town Road was
defended with valiant heroism. The Germans were,

FALL OF LONDON

361

as in Chalk Farm Road, compelled to fight their way-
foot by foot, losing heavily all the time. But here, at
length, as at other points, the barricade was taken,
and the defenders chased, and either taken prisoner or
else ruthlessly shot down. A body of citizens armed
with rifles were, after the storming of the barricades
in question, driven back into Park Street, and there,
being caught between two bodies of Germans,
slaughtered to a man. Through those unlit side-streets
between the Kentish Town and Camden Roads — namely,
the Lawford, Bartholomew, Rochester, Caversham,
and Leighton Roads, there was much skirmishing, and
many on both sides fell in the bloody encounter. A
thousand deeds of bravery were done that night, but
were unrecorded. Before the barricade in the Holloway
Road — which had been strongly repaired after the
breach made in it by the German shells — the enemy
lost very heavily, for the three Maxims which had there
been mounted did awful execution. The invaders,
however, seeing the strong defence, fell back for full
twenty minutes, and then, making another rush, hurled
petrol bombs into the midst of our men.

A frightful holocaust was the result. Fully a hundred
of the poor fellows were literally burned alive ; while
the neighbouring houses being set in flames, compelled
the citizen free - shooters to quickly evacuate their
position. Against such terrible missiles even the best-
trained troops cannot stand, therefore no wonder that
all opposition at that point was soon afterwards swept
away, and the pioneers quickly opened the road for the
victorious legions of the Kaiser.

And so in that prosaic thoroughfare, the Holloway
Road, brave men fought gallantly and died, while a
Scotch piper paced the pavement sharply, backwards
and forwards, with his colours flying. Then, alas !
came the red flash, the loud explosions in rapid succession,
and next instant the whole street burst into a veritable
sea of flame.

High Street, Kingsland, was also the scene of several

362 THE INVASION OF 1910

fierce conflicts ; but here the Germans decidedly got
the worst of it. The whole infuriated population
seemed to emerge suddenly from the side streets of
the Kingsland Road on the appearance of the detach-
ment of the enemy, and the latter were practically
overwhelmed, notwithstanding the desperate fight they
made. Then ringing cheers went up from the defenders.

The Germans were given no quarter by the populace,
all of whom were armed with knives or guns, the women
mostly with hatchets, crowbars, or edged tools.

Many of the Germans fled through the side streets
towards Mare Street, and were hotly pursued, the
majority of them being done to death by the maddened
mob. The streets in this vicinity were literally a
slaughter-house.

The barricades in Finchley Road and in High Road,
Kilburn were also very strongly held, and at the first
named it was quite an hour before the enemy's pioneers
were able to make a breach. Indeed, then only after a
most hotly contested conflict, in which there were
frightful losses on both sides. Petrol bombs were here
also used by the enemy with appalling effect, the road
being afterwards cleared by a couple of Maxims.

Farther towards Regent's Park the houses were,
however, full of sharpshooters, and before these could
be dislodged the enemy had again suffered severely.
The entry into London was both difficult and perilous,
and the enemy suffered great losses everywhere.

After the breaking down of the defences in High
Road, Kilburn, the men who had held them retired to
the Town Hall, opposite Kilburn Station, and from
the windows fired at the passing battalions, doing much
execution. All efforts to dislodge them proved unavail-
ing, until the place was taken by storm, and a fearful
hand-to-hand fight was the outcome. Eventually the
Town Hall was taken, after a most desperate resistance,
and ten minutes later wilfully set fire to and burned.

In the Harrow Road and those cross streets between
Kensal Green and Maida Vale the advancing Germans

FALL OF LONDON

363

shared much the same fate as about Hackney. Sur-
rounded by the armed populace, hundreds upon hundreds
of them were killed, struck down by hatchets, stabbed
by knives, or shot with revolvers, the crowd shouting,
" Down with the Germans ! Kill them ! Kill them ! "

Many of the London women now became perfect
furies. So incensed were they at the wreck of their
homes and the death of their loved ones that they
rushed wildly into the fray with no thought of peril,
only of bitter revenge. A German, whenever caught,
was at once killed. In those bloody street fights the
Teutons got separated from their comrades and were
quickly surrounded and done to death.

Across the whole of the northern suburbs the scenes
of bloodshed that night were full of horror, as men
fought in the ruined streets, climbing over the smoulder-
ing debris, over the bodies of their comrades, and
shooting from behind ruined walls. As Von Kronhelm
had anticipated, his Army was compelled to fight its
way into London.

The streets all along the line of the enemy's advance
were now strewn with dead and dying. London was
doomed.

The Germans now coming on in increasing, nay,
unceasing, numbers, were leaving behind them every-
where the trail of blood. Shattered London stood
staggered.

Though the resistance had been long and desperate,
the enemy had again triumphed by reason of his sheer
weight of numbers.

Yet even though he were actually in our own dear
London, our people did not mean that he should establish
himself without any further opposition. Therefore,
though the barricades had been taken, the Germans
found in every unexpected corner men who shot at
them, and Maxims which spat forth their leaden showers
beneath which hundreds upon hundreds of Teutons fell.

Yet they advanced, still fighting. The scenes of
carnage were awful and indescribable, no quarter being

364 THE INVASION OF 1910

given to any armed citizens not in uniform, be they
men, women, or children.

The German Army was carrying out the famous
proclamation of Field-Marshal von Kronhelm to the
very letter !

They were marching on to the sack of the wealthiest
city of the world.

It wanted still an hour of midnight, London was
a city of shadow, of fire, of death, The silent streets,
whence all the inhabitants had fled in panic, echoed
to the heavy tread of German infantry, the clank of
arms, and the ominous rumble of guns. Ever and anon
an order was shouted in German as the Kaiser's legions
went forward to occupy the proud capital of the world.
The enemy's plans appeared to have been carefully
prepared. The majority of the troops coming from the
direction of Hampstead and Finchley entered Regent's
Park, whence preparations were at once commenced for
encampment ; while the remainder, together with those
who came down the Camden, Caledonian, and Holloway
Roads turned along Euston Road and Oxford Street to
Hyde Park, where a huge camp was formed, stretching
from the Marble Arch right along the Park Lane side
away to Knightsbridge.

Officers were very soon billeted in the best houses
in Park Lane and about Mayfair, — houses full of works
of art and other valuables that had only that morning
been left to the mercy of the invaders. From the
windows and balconies of their quarters in Park Lane
they could overlook the encampment — a position which
had evidently been purposely chosen.

Other troops who came in never-ending procession
by Bow Road, Roman Road, East India Dock Road,
Victoria Park Road, Mare Street, and Kingsland Road
all converged into the City itself, except those who had
come from Edmonton down the Kingsland Road, and
who, passing along Old Street and Clerkenwell, occupied
the Charing Cross and Westminster districts.

At midnight a dramatic scene was enacted when,

FALL OF LONDON

365

in the blood-red glare of some blazing buildings in the
vicinity, a large body of Prince Louis Ferdinand of
Prussia's 2nd Magdeburg Regiment suddenly swept up
Threadneedle Street into the great open space before the
Mansion House, whereon the London flag was still flying
aloft in the smoke-laden air. They halted across the
junction of Cheapside with Queen Victoria Street when,
at the same moment, another huge body of the Uhlans

of Altmark and Magdeburg Hussars came clattering
along Cornhill, followed a moment later by battalion
after battalion of the 4th and 8th Thuringen Infantry
out of Moorgate Street, whose uniforms showed plain
traces of the desperate encounters of the past week.

The great body of Germans had halted before the
Mansion House, when General von Kleppen, the com-
mander of the IVth Army Corps— who, it will be re-
membered, had landed at Weybourne— accompanied by

366 THE INVASION OF 1910

Lieutenant-General von Mirbach of the 8th Division,
and Frolich, commander of the cavalry brigade, ascended
the steps of the Mansion House and entered.

Within, Sir Claude Harrison, the Lord Mayor, who
wore his robes and jewel of office, received them in
that great, sombre room wherein so many momentous
questions concerning the welfare of the British Empire
had been discussed. The representative of the City of
London, a short, stout, grey-haired man, was pale and
agitated. He bowed, but he could not speak.

Von Kleppen, however, a smart, soldierly figure in
his service uniform and many ribbons, bowed in response,
and in very fair English said :

" I regret, my Lord Mayor, that it is necessary for
us to thus disturb you, but as you are aware, the British
Army have been defeated, and the German Army has
entered London. I have orders from Field-Marshal von
Kronhelm to place you under arrest, and to hold you as
hostage for the good behaviour of the City during the
progress of the negotiations for peace."

" Arrest ! " gasped the Lord Mayor. " You intend
to arrest me? "

" It will not be irksome, I assure you," smiled
the German commander grimly. " At least, we shall
make it as comfortable as possible. I shall place a
guard here, and the only restriction I place upon you
is that you shall neither go out nor hold any communi-
cation with anyone outside these walls."

" But my wife ? "

" If her ladyship is here I would advise that she
leave the place. It is better that, for the present, she
should be out of London."

The civic officials, who had all assembled for the
dramatic ceremonial, looked at each other in blank
amazement.

The Lord Mayor was a prisoner !

Sir Claude divested himself of his jewel of office,
and handed it to his servant to replace in safe keeping.
Then he took off his robe, and having done so, advanced

FALL OF LONDON

367

closer to the German officers, who, treating him with
every courtesy, consulted with him, expressing regret
at the terrible loss of life that had been occasioned by
the gallant defence of the barricades.

Von Kleppen gave the Lord Mayor a message from
Von Kronhelm, and urged him to issue a proclamation
forbidding any further opposition on the part of the
populace of London. With the three officers Sir Claude
talked for a quarter of an hour, while into the Mansion
House there entered a strong guard of men of the 2nd
Magdeburg, who quickly established themselves in the
most comfortable quarters. German double sentries
stood at every exit and in every corridor, and when
a few minutes later the flag was hauled down and
the German Imperial Standard run up, wild shouts of
triumph rang from every throat of the densely packed
body of troops assembled outside.

The joyous " hurrahs ! " reached the Lord Mayor,
still in conversation with Von Kleppen, Von Mirbach,
and Frolich, and in an instant he knew the truth.
The Teutons were saluting their own standard. The
civic flag had, either accidentally or purposely, been
flung down into the roadway below, and was trampled
in the dust. A hundred enthusiastic Germans, disre-
garding the shouts of their officers, fought for the flag,
and it was instantly torn to shreds, and little pieces
preserved as souvenirs.

Shout after shout in German went up from the
wildly excited troops of the Kaiser when the light wind
caused their own flag to flutter out, and then as with
one voice the whole body of troops united in singing
the German National Hymn.

The scene was weird and most impressive. London
had fallen.

Around were the wrecked buildings, some still
smouldering, some emitting flame. Behind lay the
Bank of England with untold wealth locked within ;
to the right, the damaged facade of the Royal Exchange
was illuminated by the flickering light, which also shone

368 THE INVASION OF 1910

upon the piled arms of the enemy's troops, causing
them to flash and gleam.

In those silent, narrow City streets not an Eng-
lishman was to be seen. Everyone save the Lord Mayor
and his official attendants had fled.

The Government offices in Whitehall were all in the
hands of the enemy. In the Foreign Office, the India
Office, the War Office, the Colonial Office, the Admiralty
and other minor offices were German guards. Sentries
stood at the shattered door of the famous No. 10
Downing Street, and all up Whitehall was lined with
infantry.

German officers were in charge of all our public
offices, and all officials who had remained on duty were
firmly requested to leave. Sentries were stationed to
guard the archives of every department, and precautions
were taken to guard against any further outbreaks of
fire.

Across at the Houses of Parliament, with their
damaged towers, the whole great pile of buildings was
surrounded by triumphant troops, while across at the
fine old Abbey of Westminster was, alas ! a different
scene. The interior had been turned into a temporary
hospital, and upon matresses placed upon the floor
were hundreds of poor maimed creatures, some groaning,
some ghastly pale in the last moments of agony, some
silent, their white lips moving in prayer.

On one side in the dim light lay the men, some in
uniform, others inoffensive citizens, who had been
struck by cruel shells or falling debris ; on the other side
lay the women, some mere girls, and even children.

Flitting everywhere in the half light were nurses,
charitable ladies, and female helpers, with numbers of
doctors, all doing their best to alleviate the terrible
sufferings of that crowded place, the walls of which
showed plain traces of the severe bombardment. In
places the roof was open to the angry sky, while many
of the windows were gaunt and shattered.

A clergyman's voice somewhere was repeating a

FALL OF LONDON

369

prayer in a low, distinct voice, so that all could hear,
yet above all were the sighs and groans of the sufferers,
and as one walked through that prostrate assembly

of victims more than one was seen to have already gone
to that land that lies beyond the human ken.

The horrors of war were never more forcibly illus-
trated than in Westminster Abbey that night, for the
24

370 THE INVASION OF 1910

grim hand of Death was there, and men and women
lying with their faces to the roof looked into Eternity.

Every hospital in London was full, therefore the
overflow had been placed in the various churches. From
the battlefields along the northern defences, Epping,
Edmonton, Barnet, Enfield, and other places where
the last desperate stand had been made, and from the
barricades in the northern suburbs ambulance wagons
were continually arriving full of wounded, all of whom
were placed in the churches and in any large public
buildings which had remained undamaged by the bom-
bardment.

St. George's, Hanover Square, once the scene of
many smart weddings, was now packed with unfortunate
wounded soldiers, British and Germans lying side by
side, while in the Westminster Cathedral and the Oratory
at Brompton the Roman Catholic priests made hundreds
of poor fellows as comfortable as they could, many
members of the religious sisterhoods acting as nurses.
St. James's Church in Piccadilly, St. Pancras Church,
Shoreditch Church, and St. Mary Abbotts', Kensington,
were all improvised hospitals, and many grim and
terrible scenes of agony were witnessed during that
long eventful night.

The light was dim everywhere, for there were only
paraffin lamps, and by their feeble illumination many a
difficult operation had to be performed by those London
surgeons who one and all had come forward, and were
now working unceasingly. Renowned specialists from
Harley Street, Cavendish Square, Queen Anne Street,
and the vicinity were directing the work in all the
improvised hospitals, men whose names were world-
famous kneeling and performing operations upon poor
unfortunate private soldiers or upon some labourer
who had taken up a gun in defence of his home.

Of lady helpers there were hundreds. From Mayfair
and Belgravia, from Kensington and Bayswater, ladies
had come forward offering their services, and their
devotion to the wounded was everywhere apparent. In

FALL OF LONDON

37i

St. Andrew's, Wells Street, St. Peter's, Eaton Square,
in the Scottish Church in Crown Court, Covent Garden,
in the Temple Church, in the Union Chapel in Upper
Street, in the Chapel Royal, Savoy, in St. Clement
Danes in the Strand, and in St. Martin's-in-the-Fields
there were wounded in greater or less numbers, but the
difficulties of treating them were enormous owing to
the lack of necessaries for the performance of operations.

Weird and striking were the scenes within those
hallowed places, as, in the half darkness with the long,
deep shadows, men struggled for life or gave to the
women kneeling at their side their name, their address,
or a last dying message to one they loved.

London that night was a city of shattered homes,
of shattered hopes, of shattered lives.

The silence of death had fallen everywhere. The
only sounds that broke the quiet within those churches
were the sighs, the groans, and the faint murmurings
of the dying.

CHAPTER VII

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES

Some adequate idea of the individual efforts made by
the citizens of London to defend their homes against
the invader may be gathered from various personal
narratives afterwards printed in certain newspapers.
All of them were tragic, thrilling, and struck that strong
note of patriotism which is ever latent in the breast
of every Englishman, and more especially the Londoner.

The story told to a reporter of the Observer by a
young man named Charles Dale, who in ordinary life
was a clerk in the employ of the Royal Mail Steam
Packet Company, in Moorgate Street, depicted, in graphic
details, the frightful conflict. He said :

" When the Hendon and Cricklewood Rifle Club
was formed in 1906 I joined it, and in a month we had
over 500 members. From that time the club — whose
practices were held at the Normal Powder Company's
range, in Reuter's Lane, Hendon — increased until it
became one of the largest rifle clubs in the kingdom.
As soon as news of the sudden invasion reached us, we
all reported ourselves at headquarters, and out of four
thousand of us there were only thirty-three absentees,
all the latter being too far from London to return. We
were formed into small parties, and, taking our rifles
and ammunition, we donned our distinctive khaki
tunics and peaked caps, and each company made its
way into Essex independently, in order to assist the
Legion of Frontiersmen and the Free-shooters to harass
the Germans.

372

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES 373

" Three days after the enemy's landing, I found
myself, with seventeen of my comrades, at a village
called Dedham, close to the Stour, where we opened our
campaign by lying in ambush and picking off a number
of German sentries. It was exciting and risky work,
especially when, under cover of darkness, we crept up
to the enemy's outposts and attacked and harassed
them. Assisted by a number of the Frontiersmen,
we scoured the country across to Sudbury, and in that
hot, exciting week that followed dozens of the enemy
fell to our guns. We snatched sleep where we could,
concealing ourselves in thickets and begging food from
the cottagers, all of whom gave us whatever they could
spare. One morning, when just outside Wormingford
village, we were surprised by a party of Germans.
Whereupon we retired to a barn, and held it strongly
for an hour until the enemy were forced to retire, leaving
ten of their number dead and eight wounded. Ours
was a very narrow escape, and had not the enemy
been compelled to fight in the open, we should certainly
have been overwhelmed and exterminated. We were
an irregular force, therefore the Germans would give us
no quarter. We carried our lives in our hands always.

" War brings with it strange companions. Many
queer, adventurous spirits fought beside us in those
breathless days of fire and blood, when Maldon was
attacked by the Colchester garrison, and our gallant
troops were forced back after the battle of Purleigh.
Each day that went past brought out larger numbers
of free-shooters from London, while the full force of
the patriotic Legion of Frontiersmen had now con-
centrated until the whole country west of the line from
Chelmsford to Saffron Walden seemed swarming with
us, and we must have given the enemy great trouble
everywhere. The day following the battle of Royston
I had the most narrow escape. Lying in ambush with
eight other men, all members of the Rifle Club, in
College Wood, not far from Buntingford, I was asleep,
being utterly worn out, when we were suddenly dis-

374 THE INVASION OF 1910

covered by a large party of Uhlans. Two of my com-
rades were shot dead ere they could fire, while five
others, including one of my best friends, Tom Martin,
a clerk in the National Provincial Bank, who had
started with me from Hendon, were taken prisoners.
I managed to dodge the two big Uhlans who endeavoured
to seize me, and into the face of one I fired my revolver,
blowing half his bearded face away. In a moment a
German bullet whistled past me ; then another and
another ; but by marvellous good luck I was not hit,
and managed to escape into the denser part of the wood,
where I climbed a high tree, hiding among the branches,
while the Germans below sought in vain for me.
Those moments seemed hours. I could hear my own
heart beat. I knew that they might easily discover
me, for the foliage was not very thick. Indeed, twice
one of the search parties passed right beneath me.
Of my other comrade who had fled I had seen nothing.
For three hours I remained concealed there. Once I
heard loud shouts and then sounds of shots close by,
and wondered whether any of our comrades, whom
I knew were in the vicinity, had discovered the
Germans. Then at last, just after sundown, I descended
and carefully made my way out. For a long time I
wandered about until the dusk was deepening into night,
unable to discover my whereabouts. At last I found
myself on the outskirts of the wood, but hardly had I
gone a hundred yards in the open ere my eyes met a
sight that froze my blood. Upon trees in close prox-
imity to each other were hanging the dead bodies of my
five comrades, including poor Tom Martin. They
presented a grim, ghastly spectacle. The Uhlans had
strung them to trees, and afterwards riddled them
with bullets !

" Gradually, we were driven back upon London.
Desperately we fought, each one of us, and the personal
risk of every member of our club, of any other of the
rifle clubs, and of the Frontiersmen, for thefmatter of
that, was very great. We were insufficient in numbers.

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES 375

Had we been more numerous, I maintain that we could
have so harassed the enemy that we could have held him
in check for many months. With the few thousands of
men we have we made it extremely uncomfortable for
Von Kronhelm and his forces. Had our number been
greater we could have operated more in unison with the
British regular arms, and formed a line of defence
around London so complete that it could never have
been broken. As it was, however, when driven in, we
were compelled to take a stand in manning the forts
and entrenchments of the London lines, I finding myself
in a hastily constructed trench not far from Enfield.
While engaged there with the enemy, a bullet took
away the little finger of my left hand, causing me
excruciating pain, but it fortunately did not place me
hors-de-combat. Standing beside me was a coster-
monger from Leman Street, Whitechapel, who had
once been in the Militia, while next him was a country
squire from Hampshire, who was a good shot at
grouse, but who had never before handled a military
rifle. In that narrow trench in which we stood beneath
the rain of German bullets we were of a verity a strange,
incongruous crowd, dirty, unkempt, unshaven, more
than one of us wearing hastily applied bandages upon
places where we had received injury. I had never
faced death like that before, and I tell you it was
a weird and strange experience. Every man among
us knit his brows, loaded and fired, without speaking a
word, except, perhaps, to ejaculate a curse upon those
who threatened to overwhelm us and capture our capital.

" At last, though we fought valiantly — three men
beside me having fallen dead through injudiciously
showing themselves above the earthworks — we were
compelled to evacuate our position. Then followed a
terrible guerilla warfare as, driven in across by South-
gate to Finchley, we fell back south upon London itself.
The enemy, victorious, were following upon the heels
of our routed army, and it was seen that our last stand
must be made at the barricades, which, we heard, had

376

THE INVASION OF 1910

in our absence been erected in all the main roads leading
in from the Northern Heights.

" On Hampstead Heath I found about a dozen or
so of my comrades, whom I had not seen since I had
left Hendon, and heard from them that they had been
operating in Norfolk against the German Guards, who
had landed at King's Lynn. With them I went through
Hampstead and down Haverstock Hill to the great
barricade that had been erected across that thoroughfare
and Prince of Wales Road. It was a huge, ugly structure,
built of every conceivable article — overturned tramcars,
furniture, paving stones, pianos, wardrobes, scaffold
boards, in fact everything and anything that came
handiest — while intertwined everywhere were hundreds
of yards of barbed wire. A small space had been left
at the junction of the two roads in order to allow people
to enter, while on the top a big Union Jack waved in the
light breeze. In all the neighbouring houses I saw
men with rifles, while from one house pointed the
menacing muzzle of a Maxim, commanding the greater
part of Haverstock Hill. There seemed also to be
other barricades in the smaller roads in the vicinity.
But the one at which I had been stationed was certainly
a most formidable obstacle. All sorts and conditions
of men manned it. Women, too, were there, fierce-
eyed, towsled-haired women, who in their fury seemed
to have become half savage. Men shouted themselves
hoarse, encouraging the armed citizens to fight till
death. But from the determined look upon their faces
no incentive was needed. They meant, every one of
them, to bear their part bravely, when the moment
came.

" ' We've been here three whole days awaiting the
enemy,' one man said to me, a dark-haired, bearded
City man in a serge suit, who carried his rifle slung upon
his shoulder.'

" ' They'll be 'ere soon enough now, cockie,' remarked
a Londoner of the lower class from Notting Dale.
' There'll be fightin' 'ere before long, depend on't. This

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES 377

COUNTY OF LONDON.

LOOTING, HOUSEBREAKING, AND
OTHER OFFENCES.

TAKE NOTICE.

(1) That any person, whether soldier or civilian, who enters any
premises whatsoever for the purposes of loot ; or is found with loot
in his possession ; or who commits any theft within the meaning of
the Act ; or is guilty of theft from the person, or robbery, with or
without violence ; or wilfully damages property ; or compels by threats
any person to disclose the whereabouts of valuables, or who demands
money by menaces ; or enters upon any private premises, viz. house,
shop, warehouse, office, or factory, without just or reasonable cause,
will be at once arrested and tried by military court-martial, and be
liable to penal servitude for a period not to exceed twenty years.

(2) That from this date all magistrates at the Metropolitan Police
Courts will be superseded by military officers empowered to deal and
adjudicate upon all offences in contravention to law.

(3) That the chief Military Court-martial is established at the
Metropolitan Police Court at Bow Street.

FRANCIS BAMFORD, General,

Military Governor of London.

Governor's Headquarters,

New Scotland Yard, S.W.,
September igtk, 191 o.

THE ABOVE PROCLAMATION WAS POSTED ALL OVER THE
METROPOLIS ON THE DAY PRIOR TO THE BOMBARDMENT.

378 THE INVASION OF 1910

is more excitin' sport than Kempton Park, ain't it —
eh ? '

" That man was right, for a few hours later, when
Von Kronhelm appeared upon Hampstead Heath and
launched his infantry upon London, our barricade
became a perfect hell. I was on the roof of a house
close by, lying full length behind a sheltering chimney-
stack, and firing upon the advancing troops for all I
was worth. From every window in the vicinity we
poured forth a veritable rain of death upon the Germans,
while our Maxim spat fire incessantly, and the men
at the barricade kept up a splendid fusillade. Ere
long Haverstock Hill became a perfect inferno.
Perched up where I was, I commanded a wide view
of all that was in progress. Again and again the Germans
were launched to the assault, but such a withering fire
did we keep up that we held them constantly in check.
Our Maxim served us admirably, for ever and anon
it cut a lane in the great wall of advancing troops, until
the whole roadway was covered with dead and maimed
Germans. To my own gun many fell, as to those of
my valiant comrades, for every one of us had sworn
that the enemy should never enter London if we could
prevent it.

" I saw a woman with her hair dishevelled deliberately
mount to the top of the barricade and wave a small
Union Jack ; but next instant she paid for her folly
with her life, and fell back dead upon the roadway
below. If the enemy lost heavily, we did not altogether
escape. At the barricade and in the houses in the
immediate vicinity there were a number of dead and a
quantity of wounded, the latter being carried away
and tended to by a number of devoted ladies from
Fitzjohn's Avenue, and the more select thoroughfares
in the neighbourhood. Local surgeons were also there,
working unceasingly. For fully an hour the frightful
conflict continued. The Germans were dogged in their
perseverance, while we were equally active in our
desperate resistance. The conflict was awful. The

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES 379

scenes in the streets below me now were beyond descrip-
tion. In High Street, Hampstead, a number of shops
had been set on fire and were burning ; while above the
din, the shouts and the crackle of the rifles, there was
now and then heard the deep boom of field guns away
in the distance.

" We had received information that Von Kronhelm
himself was quite near us, up at Jack Straw's Castle,
and more than one of us only wished he would show
himself in Haverstock Hill, and thus allow us a chance
of taking a pot-shot at him.

" Suddenly the enemy retreated back up Roslyn
Hill, and we cheered loudly at what we thought was
our victory. Alas ! our triumph was not of long dura-
tion. I had descended from my position on the roof,
and was walking at rear of the barricade, where the
pavement and roadway were slippery with blood, when
of a sudden the big guns, which it seemed had now been
planted on Hampstead Heath, gave tongue, and a
shot passed high above us far south into London. In
a moment a dozen other guns roared, and within ten
minutes we found ourselves beneath a perfect hail of
high explosive projectiles, though being so near the
guns we were comparatively safe. Most of us sought
shelter in the neighbouring houses. No enemy was
in sight, for they had now gathered up their wounded
and retired back up to Hampstead. Their dead they
left scattered over the roadway, a grim, awful sight
on that bright, sunny morning.

" ' They're surely not going to bombard a defenceless
city ? ' cried a man to me — a man whom I recognised
as a neighbour of mine at Hendon. 'It's against all
the rules of war.'

" ' They are bombarding London because of our
defence,' I said, and scarcely were those words out of
my mouth when there was a bright red flash, a
loud report, and the whole front of a neighbouring
house was torn out into the roadway, while my
friend and myself reeled by force of the terrific

380 THE INVASION OF 1910

explosion. Two men standing near us had been blown to
atoms.

" Some of the women about us now became panic-
stricken. But the men were mostly cool and determined,
standing within the shelter walls of the houses, down
areas, or in coal cellers beneath the street. Thus for
over three hours we waited under fire, not knowing
from one moment to another whether a shell might
not fall among us.

" Suddenly our fears were increased, when, soon
after four o'clock, the Germans again appeared in
Haverstock Hill, this time with artillery, which, not-
withstanding the heavy fire we instantly directed upon
them, they established in such a position as to completely
command our hastily-constructed defences. The fire
from Hampstead Heath was slackening when suddenly
one of those guns before us on Haverstock Hill sent a
shell right into the centre of our barricade. The explosion
was awful. The whole front of the house in which I
was fell out into the roadway, while a dozen heroic
men were blown out of all recognition, and a great
breach made in the obstruction. Another shell, another
and another, struck in our midst, utterly disorganising
our defence, and each time making great breaches in our
huge barricade. Neither Maxim nor rifle was of any
use against those awful shells.

" I stood in the wrecked room covered with dust and
blood, wondering what the end was to be. To fire my
rifle in that moment was useless. Not only did the
German artillery train their guns upon the barricade,
but on the houses which we had placed in a state of
defence. They pounded away at them, and in a few
minutes had reduced several to ruins, burying in the
debris the gallant Londoners defending them. The
house upon the roof of which I had, earlier in the day,
taken up my position, was struck by two shells in rapid
succession, and simply demolished, over forty brave
men losing their lives in the terrible catastrophe.

" Again the enemy, after wrecking our defences,

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES 381

retired smartly up the hill as the terrible bombardment
of London ceased. Our losses in the shelling of the
barricade had been terrible. The roadway behind us
was strewn with dead and dying, and with others I
helped to bandage the wounded and remove them to
private houses in the Adelaide and King Henry's Roads,
where the doctors were attending to their injuries. In
Haverstock Hill lay the bodies of many women, more
than one with a revolver still grasped in her stiffened
hand. Ah ! the scenes at that barricade defy descrip-
tion. They were awful. The pavements were like those
of slaughter-houses and the whole road to beyond the
Adelaide had been utterly wrecked, there being not a
single house intact.

" And yet we rallied. Reinforcements came up from
the direction of Regent's Park — a great, unorganised
crowd of armed men and women, doubly enraged by
the cruel bombardment and the burning of their homes.
With these reinforcements we resolved to still hold
the debris of our barricade — to still dispute the advance
of the invader, knowing that one division must certainly
come down that road. So we reorganised our force and
waited — waited while the sun sank with its crimson after-
glow and darkness crept on, watching the red fires of
London reflected upon the night sky, and wondering
each one of us what was to be our fate.

" For hours we waited there, until the Kaiser's
legions came upon us, sweeping down Roslyn Hill to
where we were still making a last stand. Though the
street lamps were unlit, we saw them advancing by
the angry glare of the fires of London, while we, too,
were full in the light, and a mark for them. They
fired upon us, and we returned their fusillade. We
stood man to man, concealed behind the debris wherever
we could get shelter from the rain of lead they poured
upon us. They advanced by rushes, taking our position
by storm. I was in the roadway, concealed behind an
overturned tramcar, into the woodwork of which bullets
were constantly imbedding themselves. The man next

382 THE INVASION OF 1910

me fell backward — dead, without a word. But I kept
on, well knowing that in the end we must give way.
Those well-equipped hordes of the Kaiser I saw before
me were, I knew, the conquerors of London. Yet
we fought on valiantly for King and country —
fought even when we came hand to hand. I shot
a standard-bearer dead, but in an instant another
took his place. For a second the German standard
was trampled in the dust, but next moment it was
aloft again, amid the ringing cheers of the conquerors.
Again I fired, again, and yet again, as fast as I could
reload, when of a sudden I knew that we were defeated,
for our fire had slackened, and the Germans ran in past
me. I turned, and as I did so I faced a big, burly
fellow with a revolver. I put my hand to my own, but
ere I could get it out a light flashed full in my face, and
then I knew no more. When I recovered consciousness
I found myself in the North- West London Hospital, in
Kentish Town Road, with my head bandaged, and a
nurse looking gravely into my face.

" And that is very briefly my story of how I fared
during the terrible siege of London. I could tell you
of many and many horrible scenes, of ruthless loss of
life, and of women and children the innocent victims
of those bloody engagements. But why should I ?
The horrors of the war are surely known to you, alas,
only too well — far too well."

Another narrative of great interest as showing the
aspect of London immediately following its occupation
by the Germans was that of a middle-aged linotype
operator named James Jellicoe, employed on the
Weekly Dispatch, who made the following statement
to a reporter of the Evening News. It was published
in the last edition of that journal prior to the sup-
pression of the entire London Press by Von Kronhelm.
He said :

" When the barricades in North London had been

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES 383

stormed by the Germans, and they had fought their
way down to Oxford Street and Holborn, I chanced to
be- in Farringdon Street. Right through the bom-
bardment during the whole afternoon we compositors
on the Mail, the Evening News, and the Dispatch were
compelled to work, and it had been a most exciting
time, I can tell you. We didn't know from one moment
to another when a shell might fall through the roof
among us. Two or three places in Whitefriars were
struck, and Answers' office in Tudor Street had been
burned out. I had left work at eleven and gone to
meet my boy Frank, who is on the Star in Stone-
cutter Street, intending to take him home to Kennington
Park Road, where I live, when I first caught sight of
the Germans. They were passing over the Viaduct,
marching towards the City, while some of them ran
down the steps into the Farringdon Road, ranging
themselves along beneath the Viaduct as guards, in
order to protect it, I suppose. They seemed a tall,
sturdy, well-equipped body of men, and entirely sur-
prised me, as they did the other people about me, who
now saw them for the first time. I had been setting
up ' copy ' about the enemy for the past ten days or
so, but had never imagined them to be such a sturdy
race as they really were. There was no disorder among
them. They obeyed the German words of com-
mand just like machines, while up above them marched
battalion after battalion of infantry, and troop after
troop of clattering cavalry, away to Newgate Street and
the City.

" I heard it said that the Lord Mayor had already
been taken a prisoner, and that the streets of the City
proper were swarming with Germans. A quarter of
an hour later I called for my boy, and together we made
our way back along New Bridge Street to Blackfriars
Bridge, when, to my amazement, I found such a great
press of people flying south that many helpless women
and children were being crushed to death. There was
a frightful scene, illuminated by the red glare of the

384 THE INVASION OF 1910

flames devouring St. Paul's Station. The railway bridge
was thus cut off, otherwise it might have considerably
relieved the frantic traffic. After half a dozen futile

DAMAGE DONE. IN WESTMINSTER BY THE

BOMBARDMENT

'The shaded portions indicate houses ot building*
injured by shells or fire. *

attempts to get across — for it seemed that there were
two human tides meeting there, persons desirous of re-
entering London after the bombardment, and those
flying in terror from the enemy — I resolved to abandon

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES

385

it. Therefore, with my boy Frank, I walked along the
Embankment until I got close to Waterloo Bridge,
when, as I approached the great single arch that spans
the roadway, I noticed a boat containing three men
shoot out into the river from beneath the wall, close
to where we were walking. It slipped silently
beneath the shadow of the second arch, where there
was some scaffolding, the fine old bridge being under
repair.

" The bridge above was just as crowded as that at
Blackfriars, the throng struggling both ways, meeting
and fighting among themselves for the mastery. In
those frantic efforts to cross the river, men and women
had their clothes literally torn from their backs. The
men were demons in that hour of terror ; the women
became veritable furies. On the Embankment where
I stood in the shadow, however, there were few persons.
The great fires in the Strand threw their reflection upon
the surface of the water, but the Savoy, Somerset House,
and the Cecil also threw great black shadows. The
mysterious movements of the three men beneath the
bridge attracted me. They had rowed so suddenly
out just as we passed that they startled me, and now
my curiosity became aroused. Concealed in the deep
shadow I leaned over the parapet, and watching saw
them make fast the boat to the scaffold platform on
a level with the water, and then one man, clinging to
the ladder, clambered up into the centre of the arch
beneath the roadway. I could not distinctly see what
he was doing, for he was hidden among the scaffolding
and in the darkness.

" Presently a second man from the boat swung
himself upon the ladder and ascended to his companion
on the platform above. I could distinguish them
standing together, apparently in consultation. Close
to me was the pier of the Thames Police, and both of
us slipped down there, but found nobody in charge.
The police, Metropolitan, City, and Thames, were all
engaged in the streets on that memorable night. Never-

386 THE INVASION OF 1910

theless, the trio beneath the bridge were acting sus-
piciously. What could we do ? German secret agents
had committed many outrages during the past ten days,
more especially in blowing up bridges and wrecking
public buildings with bombs, in order to disorganise
any attempt at resistance, and strike terror into the
hearts of Londoners. A bomb had been exploded on
the terrace of the House of Commons two days before,
causing great havoc, while the entrance hall of the
Admiralty had also been wrecked. Penge tunnel had,
by explosives, been rendered impassable, and an attempt
in the tunnel at Merstham had very nearly been success-
ful. Were these suspicious men engaged in the dastardly
act of blowing up Waterloo Bridge ?

" It suddenly struck me that it might be part of
Von Kronhelm's scheme to blow up certain of the
bridges in order to prevent those who had fled south
from returning and harassing his troops, or else he
wished to keep the inhabitants remaining north of the
Thames, and prevent them from escaping. As I stood
upon the police pier I saw the two men high upon the
scaffold motion to the third man, still in the boat,
when, after a few moments the last-named individual
left the boat, carrying something very carefully, an
object looking like a long iron cylinder, and slowly
made his way up the perpendicular ladder to where
the pair were standing right beneath the crown of the
huge arch.

" Then I knew that they were Germans, and realised
their foul intention. A few feet above them hundreds
were fighting and struggling, all unconscious of that
frightful explosive they were affixing to the arch. What
could I do ? To warn the crowd above was impossible.
I was far below, and my voice would not be heard
above the din.

" ' What are those fellows doing, do you think,
father ? ' inquired my boy, with curiosity.

" ' Doing ? ' I cried. ' Why, they're going to blow
up the bridge ! And we must save it. But how ? '

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES

387

" I looked around, but there was unfortunately
no one in the immediate vicinity. I had no weapon,
but the fellows were no doubt armed and desperate.
Into the dark police office I peered, but could see
nothing. Then suddenly an idea occurred to me.
If I raised the alarm at that moment, they would
certainly escape. Both Frank and I could row, there-
fore I sprang into the police boat at the pier, unmoored
her, and urged my son to take an oar with me. In
less time than it takes to relate we had pulled across
into the shadow of the big arch, and were alongside
the empty boat of the conspirators.

" e Row away for your life ! ' I cried to Frank, as
I sprang into the other boat. Then taking out my
knife I cut her adrift in an instant and pulled out hard
with the tide towards Cleopatra's Needle, while Frank,
grasping my intention, shot away towards the Surrey
bank. Scarce had I taken out my knife to sever the
cord, however, than the three men above noticed me
and shouted down in broken English. Indeed, as I
pulled off there was the sharp crack of a revolver above
me, and I think I narrowly escaped being winged.
Nevertheless, I had caught the three blackguards in a
trap. The explosive had already been fixed to the
crown of the arch, but if they lit the fuse they must
themselves be blown to atoms.

" I could hear their shouts and curses from where
I rested upon my oars, undecided how to act. If I
could only have found at that moment a couple of
those brave ' Frontiersmen ' or ' Britons,' or members
of rifle clubs, who had been such trouble to the enemy
out in Essex ! There were hundreds upon hundreds
of them in London, but they were in the streets still
harassing the Germans wherever they could. I rested
on my oars in full view of the spies, but beyond revolver
range, mounting guard upon them, as it were. They
might, after all, decide to carry out their evil design,
for if they were good swimmers they might ignite the
fuse and then dive into the water, trusting to luck to

388 THE INVASION OF 1910

get to the steps around Cleopatra's Needle. Would
they dare do this ?

" They kept shouting to me, waving their hands
excitedly ; but I could not distinguish what they said,
so great was the din on the bridge above. Frank had
disappeared. Whither he had gone I knew not. He
had, however, seen the revolver fired at me, and recognis-
ing what was taking place would, I felt certain, seek
assistance. One of the men descending the ladder to
the water, shouted again to me, waving his hand frantic-
ally and pointing upward. From this I concluded that
he intended to convey that the time-fuse was already
ignited and they were begging for their lives to be saved.
Such men are always cowards at the supreme moment
when they must face death. I saw the fellow's pale,
black-bearded face in the shadow, and an evil, murderous
countenance it was, I assure you. But to his shouts,
his threats, his frantic appeals I made no response. I
had caught all three of them,and paused there triumphant.
Would Frank ever return ? Suddenly, however, I saw
a boat in the full light out in the centre of the river,
crossing in my direction, and hailed it frantically. The
answering shout was my boy's, and as he drew nearer I
saw that with him were four men armed with rifles.
They were evidently four Freeshooters who had been
in the roadway above to hold the bridge against the
enemy's advance !

" With swift strokes of the oars Frank brought the
police boat up alongside mine, and in a few brief sentences
I explained the situation and pointed to the three
conspirators.

" ' Let's shoot them from where we are ! ' urged one
of the men, who wore the little bronze badge of a
Frontiersman, and without further word he raised his
rifle and let fly at the man clinging to the ladder. The
first shot went wide, but the second hit, for with a cry
the fellow released his hold and fell back into the dark
tide, his lifeless body being carried in our direction.

" The other three men in the boat, members of the

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES 389

Southfields (Putney) Rifle Club, opened a hail of fire
upon the pair hidden in the scaffolding above. It was
a dangerous proceeding, for had a stray bullet struck
that case full of explosives, we should have been all
blown to atoms in an instant. Several times all four
emptied their magazines into that semicircular opening,
but to no effect. The fusilade from the river quickly
attracted the attention of those above, to whom the
affair was a complete mystery. One rifleman upon the
bridge, thinking we were the enemy, actually opened
fire upon us ; but we shouted who we were, and that
spies were concealed below, whereupon he at once
desisted.

" A dozen times our party fired, when at last one
man's dark body fell heavily into the stream with a loud
splash ; and about a minute later the third fell back-
wards, and the rolling river closed over him. All three
had thus met with their well-merited deserts.

44 4 I wonder if they've lit the fuse ? ' suggested one
Frontiersman. ' Let's go nearer.'

" We both rowed forward beneath the arch, when, to
our horror, we all saw straight above us, right under
the crown, a faint red glow. A fuse was burning
there !

44 4 Quick ! ' cried one of the sharpshooters. 4 There's
not an instant to spare. Land me at the ladder, and
then row away for your lives. I'll go and put it out if
there's yet time.'

44 In a moment Frank had turned the bow of the
boat, and the gallant fellow had run nimbly up the
ladder as he sheered off again. We saw him up upon
the scaffolding. We watched him struggling to get the
iron cylinder free from the wire with which it was bound
against the stone. He tugged and tugged, but in vain.
At any instant the thing might explode and cause the
death of hundreds, including ourselves. At last, how-
ever, something suddenly fell with a big splash into*,the
stream. Then we sent up a ringing cheer.

" Waterloo Bridge was saved !

390 THE INVASION OF 1910

" People on the bridge above shouted down to us,
asking what we were doing, but we were too occupied to
reply, and as the man who had so gallantly risked his
life to save the grand old bridge from destruction re-
gained the boat we pulled away back to the police pier.
Hardly had we got ashore when we distinctly saw a
bright red flash beneath the Hungerford railway bridge,
followed by a terrific explosion, as part of the massive
iron structure fell into the river, a tangled mass of
girders. All of us chanced to have our faces turned
towards Charing Cross at that moment, and so great
was the explosion that we distinctly felt the concussion.
The dastardly work was, like the attempt we had just
foiled, that of German spies, acting under orders to cause
a series of explosions at the time of the entry of the
troops into London, thus to increase the terror in the
hearts of the populace. But instead of terrifying them
it only irritated them. Such wanton destruction was
both unpardonable and inconceivable, for it seemed
most probable that the Germans would now require
the South-Eastern Railway for strategic purposes. And
yet their spies had destroyed the bridge.

" With the men who had shot the three Germans
and my lad Frank I ascended to Waterloo Bridge by the
steps from the Embankment, and there we fought our way
through the entrance of the huge barricade that had
been nastily erected. The riflemen who had so readily
responded to Frank's alarm explained to us that they
and their companions, aided by a thousand armed
civilians of all kinds, intended to hold the bridge in
case the enemy attempted to come southward upon the
Surrey side. They told us also that all the bridges were
being similarly held by those who had survived the
terrible onslaught upon the barricades in the northern
suburbs. The Germans were already in the City, the
Lord Mayor was a prisoner, and the German flag was
flying in the smoke above the War Office, upon the
National Gallery, and other buildings. Of all this we
were aware, and from the aspect of those fierce, deter-

TWO PERSONAL NARRATIVES 391

mined-looking men around us we knew that if the
enemy's hordes attempted to storm the bridges they
would meet with a decidedly warm reception.

" Behind the bridge the multitude pressed on both
ways, so that we were stopped close behind the barricade,
where I found myself held tightly beside a neat-looking
little Maxim, manned by four men in different military
uniforms — evidently survivors from the disaster at
Epping or at Enfield. This was not the only machine
gun, for there were, I saw, four others, so placed that
they commanded the whole of Wellington Street, the
entrances to the Strand and up to Bow Street. The
great crowd in the open space before Somerset House
were struggling to get upon the bridge ; but news having
been brought of bodies of the enemy moving along the
Strand from Trafalgar Square, the narrow entrance was
quickly blocked up by paving-stones and iron railings,
torn up from before some houses in the vicinity.

" We had not long to wait. The people left in
Wellington Street, finding their retreat cut off, turned
back into the Strand or descended the steps to the
Embankment, and so had nearly all dispersed, when,
of a sudden, a large body of the enemy's infantry swept
round from the Strand, and came full upon the barricade.
Next second our Maxims spat their deadly fire with a
loud rattle and din, and about me on every hand men
were shooting. I waited to see the awful effect of our
rain of lead upon the Germans. Hundreds dropped,
but hundreds still seemed to take their place. I saw
them place a field-gun in position at the corner of the
Strand, and then I recognised their intention to shell us.
So, being unarmed and a non-combatant, I fled with my
son towards my own home in the Kennington Park Road.
I had not, however, got across the bridge before shells
began to explode against the barricade, blowing it and
several of our gallant men to atoms. Once behind I
glanced, and saw too plainly that the attempt to hold the
bridge was utterly hopeless. There were not sufficient
riflemen Then we both ran on — to save our lives. And

392

THE INVASION OF 1910

you know the rest — ruin, disaster, and death reigned in
London that night. Our men fought for their lives and
homes, but the Germans, angered at our resistance,
gave no quarter to those not in uniform. Ah ! the
slaughter was awful."

CHAPTER VIII

GERMANS SACKING THE BANKS

Day dawned dismally and wet on September the 21st.

Over London the sky was still obscured by the
smoke-pall, though as the night passed many of the
raging fires had spent themselves.

Trafalgar Square was rilled with troops, who had
piled arms and were standing at their ease. The men
were laughing and smoking, enjoying a rest after the
last forward movement and the street righting of that
night of horrors.

The losses on both sides during the past three days
had been enormous ; of the number of London citizens
killed and wounded it was impossible to calculate.
There had, in the northern suburbs, been wholesale
butchery everywhere, so gallantly had the barricades
been defended.

Great camps had now been formed in Hyde Park,
in the Green Park between Constitution Hill and Picca-
dilly, and in St. James's Park. The Magdeburg Fusiliers
were being formed up on the Horse Guards Parade, and
from the flagstaff there now fluttered the ensign of the
commander of an army corps in place of the British
flag. A large number of Uhlans and Cuirassiers were
encamped at the west end of the Park, opposite Buck-
ingham Palace, and both the Wellington Barracks and
the Cavalry Barracks at Knightsbridge were occupied
by Germans.

Many officers were already billeted in the Savoy,
the Cecil, the Carlton, the Grand, and Victoria hotels,

393

394 THE INVASION OF 1910

while the British Museum, the National Gallery, the
South Kensington Museum, the Tower, and a number
of other collections of pictures and antiques were all
guarded strongly by German sentries. The enemy
had thus seized our national treasures.

London awoke to find herself a German city.

In the streets lounging groups of travel-worn sons
of the Fatherland were everywhere, and German was
heard on every hand. Every ounce of foodstuff was
being rapidly commandeered by hundreds of foraging
parties, who went to each grocer's, baker's, or provision
shop in the various districts, seized all they could find,
valued it, and gave official receipts for it.

The price of food in London that morning was
absolutely prohibitive, as much as two shillings being
asked for a twopenny loaf. The Germans had, it was
afterwards discovered, been all the time, since the
Sunday when they landed, running over large cargoes
of supplies of all sorts to the Essex, Lincolnshire, and
Norfolk coasts, where they had established huge supply
bases, well knowing that there was not sufficient food
in the country to feed their armed hordes in addition to
the population.

Shops in Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, Edgeware
Road, Oxford Street, Camden Road, and Harrow Road
were systematically visited by the foraging parties, who
commenced their work at dawn. Those places that
were closed and their owners absent were at once broken
open, and everything seized and carted to either Hyde
Park or St. James's Park, for though Londoners might
starve, the Kaiser's troops intended to be fed.

In some cases a patriotic shopkeeper attempted to
resist. Indeed, in more than one case a tradesman
wilfully set his shop on fire rather than its contents
should fall into the enemy's hands. In other cases the
tradesmen who received the official German receipts
burned them in contempt before the officer's eyes.

The guidance of these foraging parties was, in very
many cases, in the hands of Germans in civilian clothes,

GERMANS SACKING THE BANKS 395

and it was now seen how complete and helpful the
enemy's system of espionage had been in London.
Most of these men were Germans who, having served
in the army, had come over to England and obtained
employment as waiters, clerks, bakers, hairdressers,
and private servants, and being bound by their oath
to the Fatherland had served their country as spies.
Each man, when obeying the Imperial command to
join the German arms, had placed in the lapel of his
coat a button of a peculiar shape, with which he had
long ago been provided, and by which he was instantly
recognised as a loyal subject of the Kaiser.

This huge body of German solders, who for years
had passed in England as civilians, was, of course, of
enormous use to Von Kronhelm, for they acted as
guides not only on the march and during the entry to
London, but materially assisted in the victorious
advance in the Midlands. Indeed, the Germans had
for years kept a civilian army in England, and yet we
had, ostrich-like, buried our heads in the sand and
refused to turn our eyes to the grave peril that had
for so long threatened.

Systematically, the Germans were visiting every
shop and warehouse in the shopping districts, and
seizing everything eatable they could discover. The
enemy were taking the food from the mouths of the
poor in East and South London, and as they went south-
ward across the river, so the populace retired, leaving
their homes at the mercy of the ruthless invader.

Upon all the bridges across the Thames stood
German guards, and none were allowed to cross either
way without permits.

Soon after dawn Von Kronhelm and his staff rode
down Haverstock Hill with a large body of cavalry, and
made his formal entry into London, first having an
interview with the Lord Mayor, and an hour afterwards
establishing his headquarters at the new War Office in
Whitehall, over which he hoisted his special flag as
Commander-in-Chief. It was found that, though a

396 THE INVASION OF 1910

good deal of damage had been done externally to the
building, the interior had practically escaped, save one
or two rooms. Therefore, the Field-Marshal installed
himself in the private room of the War Minister, and
telegraphic and telephonic communication was quickly
established, while a wireless telegraph apparatus was
placed upon the ruined summit of Big Ben for the
purpose of communicating with Germany, in case the
cables were interrupted by being cut at sea.

The day after the landing a similar apparatus had
been erected on the Monument at Yarmouth, and it had
been daily in communication with the one at Bremen.
The Germans left nothing to chance. They were always
prepared for every emergency.

The clubs in Pall Mall were now being used by
German officers, who lounged in easy-chairs, smoking
and taking their ease, German soldiers being on guard
outside. North of the Thames seemed practically
deserted, save for the invaders, who swarmed every-
where. South of the Thames the cowed and terrified
populace were asking what the end was to be. What
was the Government doing ? It had fled to Bristol and
left London to its fate, they complained.

What the German demands were was not known
until midday, when the Evening News published an
interview with Sir Claude Harrison, the Lord Mayor,
which gave authentic details of them.

They were as follows : —

1. Indemnity of £300,000,000, paid in ten annual

instalments.

2. Until this indemnity is paid in full, German troops to

occupy Edinburgh, Rosyth, Chatham, Dover, Ports-
mouth, Devonport, Pembroke, Yarmouth, Hull.

3. Cession to Germany of the Shetlands, Orkneys,

Bantry Bay, Malta, Gibraltar, and Tasmania.

4. India, north of a line drawn from Calcutta to Baroda,

to be ceded to Russia.

5. The independence of Ireland to be recognised.

GERMANS SACKING THE BANKS 397

Of the claim of £300,000,000, fifty millions was
demanded from London, the sum in question to be paid
within twelve hours.

The Lord Mayor had, it appeared, sent his secretary
to the Prime Minister at Bristol bearing the original
document in the handwriting of Von Kronhelm. The
Prime Minister had acknowledged its receipt by tele-
graph both to the Lord Mayor and to the German Field-
Marshal, but there the matter had ended.

The twelve hours' grace was nearly up, and the
German Commander, seated in Whitehall, had received
no reply.

In the corner of the large, pleasant, well-carpeted
room sat a German telegraph engineer with a portable
instrument, in direct communication with the Emperor's
private cabinet at Potsdam, and over that wire, messages
were continually passing and repassing.

The grizzled old soldier paced the room impatiently.
His Emperor had only an hour ago sent him a message
of warm congratulation, and had privately informed
him of the high honours he intended to bestow upon him.
The German Eagle was victorious, and London — the
great, unconquerable London — lay crushed, torn, and
broken.

The marble clock upon the mantelshelf chimed eleven
upon its silvery bells, causing Von Kronhelm to turn
from the window to glance at his own watch.

" Tell His Majesty that it is eleven o'clock, and that
there is no reply to hand," he said sharply in German to
the man in uniform seated at the table in the corner.

The instrument clicked rapidly, and a silence
followed.

The German Commander waited anxiously. He
stood bending slightly over the green tape in order to
read the Imperial order the instant it flashed from
beneath the sea.

Five minutes — ten minutes passed. The shouting
of military commands in'-German came up from White-
hall below. Nothing else broke the quiet.

39*

THE INVASION OF 1910

Von Kronhelm, his face more furrowed and more
serious, again paced the carpet.

Suddenly the little instrument whirred and clicked
as its thin green tape rolled out.

In an instant the Generalissimo of the Kaiser's army-
sprang to the telegraphist's side, and read the Imperial
command. \

For a moment he held the piece of tape between his
fingers, then crushed it in his hand and stood motionless.

He had received orders which, though against his
desire, he was compelled to obey.

Summoning several members of his staff who had
installed themselves in other comfortable rooms in the
vicinity, he held a long consultation with them.

In the meantime telegraphic despatches were received
from Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, and other
German headquarters, all telling the same story — the
complete investment and occupation of the big cities
and the pacification of the inhabitants.

One hour's grace was, however, allowed to London —
till noon.

Then orders were issued, bugles rang out across the
parks, and in the main thoroughfares, where arms were
piled, causing the troops to fall in, and within a quarter
of an hour large bodies of infantry and engineers were
moving along the Strand, in the direction of the City.

At first the reason of all this was a mystery, but very
shortly it was realised what was intended when a de-
tachment of the 5th Hanover Regiment advanced to the
gate of the Bank of England opposite the Exchange,
and, after some difficulty, broke it open and entered,
followed by some engineers of Von Mirbach's Division.
The building was very soon occupied, and, under the
direction of General von Klepper himself, an attempt
was made to open the strong-rooms, wherein was stored
that vast hoard of England's wealth. What actually
occurred at that spot can only be imagined, as the com-
mander of the IVth Army Corps and one or two officers
and men were the only persons present. It is surmised,

GERMANS SACKING THE BANKS 399

however, that the strength of the vaults was far greater
than they had imagined, and that, though they worked
for hours, all was in vain.

While this was in progress, however, parties of
engineers were making organised raids upon the banks
in Lombard Street, Lothbury, Moorgate Street, and
Broad Street, as well as upon branch banks in Oxford
Street, the Strand, and other places in the West End.

At one bank on the left-hand side of Lombard
Street, dynamite being used to force the strong-room,
the first bullion was seized, while at nearly all the banks
sooner or later the vaults were opened, and great bags
and boxes of gold coin were taken out and conveyed in
carefully-guarded carts to the Bank of England, now
in the possession of Germany.

In some banks — those of more modern construction —
the greatest resistance was offered by the huge steel
doors and concrete and steel walls and other devices for
security. But nothing could, alas ! resist the high
explosives used, and in the end breaches were made, in
all cases, and wealth uncounted and untold extracted
and conveyed to Threadneedle Street for safe keeping.

Engineers and infantry handled those heavy boxes
and those big bundles of securities gleefully, officers
carefully counting each box or bag or packet as it was
taken out to be carted or carried away by hand.

German soldiers under guard struggled along Loth-
bury beneath great burdens of gold, and carts, requisi-
tioned out of the East End, rumbled heavily all the
afternoon, escorted by soldiers. Hammersmith, Cam-
berwell, Hampstead, and Willesden yielded up their
quota of the great wealth of London ; but though soon
after four o'clock a breach was made in the strong-rooms
of the Bank of England by means of explosives, nothing
in the vaults was touched. The Germans simply
entered there and formally took possession.

The coin collected from other banks was carefully
kept, each separate from another, and placed in various
rooms under strong guards, for it seemed to be the

THE INVASION OF 1910

intention of Germany simply to hold London's wealth
as security.

That afternoon very few banks — except the German
ones — escaped notice. Of course, there were a few
small branches in the suburbs which remained unvisited,
yet by six o'clock Von Kronhelm was in possession of
enormous quantities of gold.

In one or two quarters there had been opposition on
the part of the armed guards established by the banks
at the first news of the invasion. But any such re-
sistance had, of course, been futile, and the man who
had dared to fire upon the German soldiers had in
every case been shot down.

Thus, when darkness fell, Von Kronhelm, from the
corner of his room in the War Office, was able to report
to his Imperial Master that not only had he occupied
London, but that, receiving no reply to his demand for
indemnity, he had sacked it and taken possession not
only of the Bank of England, but of the cash deposits in
most of the other banks in the metropolis.

That night the evening papers described the wild
happenings of the afternoon, and London saw herself
not only shattered but ruined.

The frightened populace across the river stood
breathless.

What was now to happen ?

Though London lay crushed and occupied by the
enemy, though the Lord Mayor was a prisoner of war
and the banks in the hands of the Germans, though the
metropolis had been wrecked and more than half its
inhabitants had fled southward and westward into the
country, yet the enemy received no reply to their demand
for an indemnity and the cession of British territory.

Von Kronhelm, ignorant of what had occurred in the
House of Commons at Bristol, sat in Whitehall and
wondered. He knew well that the English were no fools,
and their silence, therefore, caused him considerable
uneasiness. He had lost in the various engagements
over 50,000 men, yet nearly 200,000 still remained. His

CITY OF LONDON.

CITIZENS OF LONDON.

WE, the GENERAL COMMANDING the German Imperial Army occupying
London, give notice that :

(1) THE STATE OF WAR AND OF SIEGE continues to exist, and all
categories rof crime, more especially the contravention of all orders already issued,
will be judged by Councils of War, and punished in conformity with martial law.

(2) THE INHABITANTS OF LONDON and its suburbs are ordered to
instantly deliver up all arms and ammunition of whatever kind they possess. The
term arms includes firearms, sabres, swords, daggers, revolvers, and sword-canes.
Landlords and occupiers of houses are charged to see that this order is carried out,
but in the case of their absence the municipal authorities and officials of the London
County Council are charged to make domiciliary visits, minute and searching, being
accompanied by a military guard.

(3) ALL NEWSPAPERS, JOURNALS, GAZETTES, AND PROCLAMA-
TIONS, of whatever description, are hereby prohibited, and until further notice
nothing further must be printed, except documents issued publicly by the military
commander.

(4) ANY PRIVATE PERSON OR PERSONS taking arms against the
German troops after this notice will be EXECUTED.

(5) ON THE CONTRARY, the Imperial German troops will respect private
property, and no requisition will be allowed to be made unless it bears the authorisa-
tion of the Commander-in-Chief.

(6) ALL PUBLIC PLACES are to be closed at 8 p.m. All persons found in
the streets of London after 8 p.m. will be arrested by the patrols. There is no
exception to this rule except in the case of German Officers, and also in the case of
doctors visiting their patients. Municipal officials will also be allowed out, pro-
viding they obtain a permit from the German headquarters.

(7) MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES MUST provide for the lighting of the
streets. In cases where this is impossible, each householder must hang a lantern
outside his house from nightfall until 8 a.m.

(8) AFTER TO-MORROW morning, at 10 o'clock, the women and children of
the population of London will be allowed "to pass without hindrance.

(9) MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES MUST, with as little delay as possible,
provide accommodation for the German troops in private dwellings, in fire-stations,
barracks, hotels, and houses that are still habitable.

VON KRONHELM,

German Military Headquarters, Commander-in-Chief.

Whitehall, London, September 21, 1910.

VON KRONHELM'S PROCLAMATION TO THE CITIZENS
OF LONDON.

402 THE INVASION OF 1910

army of invasion was a no mean responsibility, especially
when at any moment the British might regain command
of the sea. His supplies and reinforcements would then
be at once cut off. It was impossible for him to live upon
the country, and his food bases in Suffolk and Essex
were not sufficiently extensive to enable him to make a
prolonged campaign. Indeed, the whole scheme of
operations which had been so long discussed and per-
fected in secret in Berlin was more of the nature of a raid
than a prolonged siege.

The German Field-Marshal sat alone and reflected.
Had he been aware of the true state of affairs he would
certainly have had considerable cause for alarm. True,
though Lord Byfield had made such a magnificent stand,
considering the weakness of the force at his disposal, and
London was occupied, yet England, even now, was not
conquered.

No news had leaked out from Bristol. Indeed,
Parliament had taken every precaution that its delibera-
tions were in secret.

The truth, however, may be briefly related. On the
previous day the House had met at noon in the Colston
Hall — a memorable sitting, indeed. The Secretary
of State for War had, after prayers, risen in the
hall and read an official despatch he had just received
from Lord Byfield, giving the news of the last stand
made by the British north of Enfield, and the utter
hopelessness of the situation.

It was received by the assembled House in ominous
silence.

During the past week through that great hall the
Minister's deep voice, shaken by emotion, had been daily
heard as he was compelled to report defeat after defeat
of the British arms. Both sides of the House had, after
the first few days, been forced to recognise Germany's
superiority in numbers, in training, in organisation — in
fact, in everything appertaining to military power.
Von Kronhelm's strategy had been perfect. He knew
more of Eastern England than the British Commander

GERMANS SACKING THE BANKS

403

himself, and his marvellous system of spies and advance
agents — Germans who had lived for years in England —
had assisted him forward, until he had now occupied
London, the city always declared to be impregnable.

Through the whole of September 20 the Minister
constantly received despatches from the British Field-
Marshal and from London itself, yet each telegram
communicated to the House seemed more hopeless than
its predecessor.

The debate, however, proceeded through the after-
noon. The Opposition were bitterly attacking the
Government and the Blue Water School for its gross
negligence in the past, and demanding to know the
whereabouts of the remnant of the British Navy. The
First Lord of the Admiralty flatly refused to make any
statement. The whereabouts of our Navy at that
moment was, he said, a secret which must, at all hazards,
be withheld from our enemy. The Admiralty were not
asleep, as the country believed, but were fully alive to the
seriousness of the crisis. He urged the House to remain
patient, saying that as soon as he dared make a clear
statement, he would do so.

This was greeted by loud jeers from the Opposition,
from whose benches, members, one after another, rose,
and, using hard epithets, blamed the Government for the
terrible disaster. The cutting down of our defences, the
meagre naval programmes, the discouragement of the
Volunteers and of recruiting, and the disregard of Lord
Roberts' scheme in 1906 for universal military training,
were, they declared, responsible for what had occurred.
The Government had been culpably negligent, and Mr.
Haldane's scheme had been all insufficient. Indeed,
it had been nothing short of criminal to mislead the
Empire into a false sense of security which did not
exist.

For the past three years Germany, while sapping our
industries, had sent her spies into our midst, and laughed
at us for our foolish insular superiority. She had turned
her attention from France to ourselves, notwithstanding

404

THE INVASION OF 1910

the entente cordiale. She remembered how the much-
talked-of Franco-Russian alliance had fallen to pieces,
and relied upon a similar outcome of the friendship
between France and Great Britain.

The aspect of the House, too, was strange ; the
Speaker in his robes looked out of place in his big un-
comfortable chair, and members sat on cane-bottomed
chairs instead of their comfortable benches at West-
minster. As far as possible the usual arrangement of the
House was adhered to, except that the Press were now
excluded, official reports being furnished to them at
midnight.

The clerks' table was a large plain one of stained
wood, but upon it was the usual array of despatch-boxes,
while the Serjeant-at-Arms, in his picturesque dress,
was still one of the most prominent figures. The
lack of committee rooms, of an adequate lobby, and of a
refreshment department caused much inconvenience,
though a temporary post and telegraph office had been
established within the building, and a separate line
connected the Prime Minister's room with Downing
Street.

If the Government were denounced in unmeasured
terms, its defence was equally vigorous. Thus, through
that never-to-be-forgotten afternoon the sitting continued
past the dinner hour on to late in the evening.

Time after time the despatches from London were
placed in the hands of the War Minister, but, contrary
to the expectation of the House, he vouchsafed no
further statement. It was noticed that just before ten
o'clock he consulted in an earnest undertone with the
Prime Minister, the First Lord of the Admiralty, and the
Home Secretary, and that a quarter of an hour later all
four went out and were closeted in one of the smaller
rooms with other members of the Cabinet for nearly
half an hour.

Then the Secretary of State for War re-entered the
House and resumed his seat in silence.

A few minutes afterwards, Mr. Thomas Askern,

GERMANS SACKING THE BANKS 405

member for one of the metropolitan boroughs, and a
well-known newspaper proprietor, who had himself
received several private despatches, rose and received
leave to put a question to the War Minister.

" I would like to ask the Right Honourable the
Secretary of State for War," he said, " whether it is
not a fact that soon after noon to-day the enemy,
having moved his heavy artillery to certain positions
commanding North London, and finding the capital
strongly barricaded, proceeded to bombard it ?
Whether that bombardment, according to the latest
despatches, is not still continuing at this moment ;
whether it is not a fact that enormous damage has
already been done to many of the principal buildings
of the metropolis, including the Government Offices
at Whitehall, and whether great loss of life has not
been occasioned ? "

The question produced the utmost sensation. The
House during the whole afternoon had been in breath-
less anxiety as to what was actually happening in
London ; but the Government held the telegraphs and
telephone, and the only private despatches that had
come to Bristol were the two received by some round-
about route known only to the ingenious journalists
who had despatched them. Indeed, the despatches
had been conveyed the greater portion of the way
by motor-car.

A complete silence fell. Every face was turned
towards the War Minister, who, seated with outstretched
legs, was holding in his hand a fresh despatch he had
just received.

He rose, and, in his deep bass voice, said —

" In reply to the honourable member for South-
East Brixton, the statement he makes appears, from
information which has just reached me, to be correct.
The Germans are, unfortunately, bombarding London.
Von Kronhelm, it is reported, is at Hampstead, and
the zone of the enemy's artillery reaches, in some cases,
as far south as the Thames itself. It is true, as the

406 THE INVASION OF 1910

honourable member asserts, an enormous amount of
damage has already been done to various buildings,
and there has undoubtedly been great loss of life. My
latest information is that the non-combatant inhabit-
ants— old persons, women, and children — are in flight
across the Thames, and that the barricades in the
principal roads leading in from the north are held
strongly by the armed populace, driven back into
London.' '

He sat down without further word.

A tall, thin, white-moustached man rose at that
moment from the Opposition side of the House. Colonel
Farquhar, late of the Royal Marines, was a well-known
military critic, and represented West Bude.

" And this," he said, " is the only hope of England !
The defence of London by an armed mob, pitted
against the most perfectly equipped and armed force
in the world ! Londoners are patriotic, I grant. They
will die fighting for their homes, as every Englishman
will when the moment comes ; yet, what can we hope,
when patriotism is ranged against modern military
science ? There surely is patriotism in the savage
negro races of Central Africa, a love of country perhaps
as deep as in the white man's heart ; yet a little strategy,
a few Maxims, and all defence is quickly at an end.
And so it must inevitably be with London. I con-
tend, Mr. Speaker," he went on, " that by the ill-
advised action of the Government from the first hour
of their coming into power, we now find ourselves
conquered. It only remains for them now to make
terms of peace as honourable to themselves as the
unfortunate circumstances will admit. Let the country
itself judge their actions in the light of events of to-day,
and let the blood of the poor murdered women and
children of London be upon their heads. (Shame.)
To resist further is useless. Our military organisation
is in chaos, our miserably weak army is defeated, and
in flight. I declare to this House that we should sue
at this very moment for peace — a dishonourable peace

GERMANS SACKING THE BANKS 407

though it be ; but the bitter truth is too plain — England
is conquered ! "

As he sat down amid the " hear, hears " and loud
applause of the Opposition there rose a keen-faced,
dark-haired, clean-shaven man of thirty-seven or so.
He was Gerald Graham, younger son of an aristocratic
house, the Yorkshire Grahams, who sat for North-
East Rutland. He was a man of brilliant attain-
ments at Oxford, a splendid orator, a distinguished
writer and traveller, whose keen brown eye, lithe
upright figure, quick activity, and smart appearance
rendered him a born leader of men. For the past
five years he had been marked out as a " coming
man."

As a soldier he had seen hard service in the Boer
War, being mentioned twice in despatches ; as an
explorer he had led a party through the heart of the
Congo and fought his way back to civilisation through
an unexplored land with valiant bravery that had
saved the lives of his companions. He was a man
who never sought notoriety. He hated to be lionised
in society, refused the shoals of cards of invitation
which poured in upon him, and stuck to his Parlia-
mentary duties, and keeping faith with his constituents
to the very letter.

As he stood up silent for a moment, gazing around
him fearlessly, he presented a striking figure, and in
his navy serge suit he possessed the unmistakable cut
of the smart, well-groomed Englishman who was also
a man of note.

The House always listened to him, for he never
spoke without he had something of importance to say.
And the instant he was up a silence fell.

" Mr. Speaker/' he said, in a clear, ringing voice,
" I entirely disagree with my honourable friend the
member for West Bude. England is not conquered !
She is not beaten ! "

The great hall rang with loud and vociferous cheers
from both sides of the House. Then, when quiet was

4o8 THE INVASION OF 1910

restored by the Speaker's stentorian " Order-r-r !
Order ! " he continued —

" London may be invested and bombarded. She
may even be sacked, but Englishmen will still fight for
their homes, and fight valiantly. If we have a demand
for indemnity, let us refuse to pay it. Let us civilians
— let the civilians in every corner of England — arm
themselves and unite to drive out the invader ! (Loud
cheers.) I contend, Mr. Speaker, that there are millions
of able-bodied men in this country who, if properly
organised, will be able to gradually exterminate the
enemy. Organisation is all that is required. Our
vast population will rise against the Germans, and
before the tide of popular indignation and desperate
resistance the power of the invader must soon be swept
away. Do not let us sit calmly here in security, and
acknowledge that we are beaten. Remember, we
have at this moment to uphold the ancient tradition
of the British race, the honour of our forefathers, who
have never been conquered. Shall we acknowledge
ourselves conquered in this the twentieth century ? "

" No ! " rose from hundreds of voices, for the House
was now carried away by young Graham's enthusiasm.

" Then let us organise ! " he urged. " Let us fight
on. Let every man who can use a sword or gun come
forward, and we will commence hostilities against the
Kaiser's forces that shall either result in their total
extermination or in the power of England being ex-
tinguished. Englishmen will die hard. I myself will,
with the consent of this House, head the movement,
for I know that [in the country we have millions who
will follow me and will be equally ready to die for our
country if necessary. Let us withdraw this statement
that we are conquered. The real, earnest fight is now
to commence," he shouted, his voice ringing clearly
through the hall. " Let us bear our part, each one
of us. If we organise and unite, we shall drive the
Kaiser's hordes into the sea. They shall sue us for
peace, and be made to pay us an indemnity, instead

GERMANS SACKING THE BANKS 409

of us paying one to them. I will lead ! " he shouted ;
" who will follow me ? "

In London the Lord Mayor's patriotic proclamations
were now obliterated by a huge bill bearing the German
Imperial arms, the text of which told its own grim tale.
It is reproduced on next page, and at its side was printed
a translation in German text.

In the meantime the news of the fall of London was
being circulated by the Germans to every town through-
out the kingdom, their despatches being embellished
by lurid descriptions of the appalling losses inflicted
upon the English. In Manchester, a great poster,
headed by the German Imperial arms, was posted up
on the Town Hall, the Exchange, and other places, in
which Von Kronhelm announced the occupation of
London; while in Leeds, Bradford, Stockport, and
Sheffield, similarly worded official announcements were
also posted. The Press in all towns occupied by the
Germans had been suppressed, papers only appearing
in order to publish the enemy's orders. Therefore, this
official intelligence was circulated by proclamation,
calculated to impress upon the inhabitants of the country
how utterly powerless they were.

While Von Kronhelm sat in that large sombre room
in the War Office, with his telegraph instrument to
Potsdam ever ticking, and the wireless telegraphy
constantly in operation, he wondered, and still wondered,
why the English made no response to his demands. He
was in London. He had carried out his Emperor's
instructions to the letter, he had received the Imperial
thanks, and he held all the gold coin he could discover in
London as security. Yet, without some reply from the
British Government, his position was an insecure one.
Even his thousand and one spies who had served him
so well ever since he had placed foot upon English soil
could tell him nothing. The deliberations of the House
of Commons at Bristol were a secret.

In Bristol the hot, fevered night had given place to
a gloriously sunny morning, with a blue and cloudless

NOTICE AND ADVICE.

TO THE CITIZENS OF LONDON.

I ADDRESS YOU SERIOUSLY.

We are neighbours, and in time of peace cordial relations have always
existed between us. I therefore address you from my heart in the cause
of humanity.

Germany is at war with England. We have been forced to penetrate
into your country.

But each human life spared, and all property saved, we regard as in the
interests of both religion and humanity.

We are at war, and both sides have fought a loyal fight.

Our desire is, however, to spare disarmed citizens and the inhabitants
of all towns and villages.

We maintain a severe discipline, and we wish to have it known that
punishment of the severest character will be inflicted upon any who are
guilty of hostility to the Imperial German arms, either open or in
secret.

To our regret any incitements, cruelties, or brutalities we must judge
with equal severity.

I therefore call upon all local mayors, magistrates, clergy, and school-
masters to urge upon the populace, and upon the heads of families, to
urge upon those under their protection, and upon their domestics, to
refrain from committing any act of hostility whatsoever against my
soldiers.

All misery avoided is a good work in the eye of our Sovereign Judge,
who sees all men.

I earnestly urge you to heed this advice, and I trust in you.
Take notice !

VON KRONHELM,
Commanding the Imperial German Army.

German Military Headquarters,

Whitehall, London, September 20, 1910.

410

GERMANS SACKING THE BANKS 411

sky. Above Leigh Woods the lark rose high in the
sky, trilling his song, and the bells of Bristol rang out
as merrily as they ever did, and above the Colston Hall
still floated the Royal Standard — a sign that the House
had not yet adjourned.

While Von Kronhelm held London, Lord Byfield
and the remnant of the British Army, who had suffered
such defeat in Essex and north of London, had, four
days later, retreated to Chichester and Salisbury, where
reorganisation was in rapid progress. One division
of the defeated troops had encamped at Horsham.
The survivors of those who had fought the battle
of Charnwood Forest, and had acted so gallantly in
the defence of Birmingham, were now encamped on
the Malvern Hills, while the defenders of Manchester
were at Shrewsbury. Speaking roughly, therefore,
our vanquished troops were massing at four points, in
an endeavour to make a last attack upon the invader.
The Commander-in-Chief, Lord Byfield, was near
Salisbury, and at any hour he knew that the German
legions might push westward from London to meet
him and to complete the coup.

The League of Defenders formed by Gerald Graham
and his friends was, however, working independently.
The wealthier classes, who, driven out of London, were
now living in cottages and tents in various parts of
Berks, Wilts, and Hants, worked unceasingly on behalf
of the League, while into Plymouth, Exmouth, Swanage,
Bristol, and Southampton more than one ship had
already managed to enter laden with arms and ammuni-
tion of all kinds, sent across by the agents of the League
in France. The cargoes were of a very miscellaneous
character, from modern Maxims to old-fashioned rifles
that had seen service in the war of 1870. There were
hundreds of modern rifles, sporting guns, revolvers,
swords — in fact, every weapon imaginable, modern and
old-fashioned. These were at once taken charge of by
the local branches of the League, and to those men who
presented their tickets of identification the arms were

412

THE INVASION OF 1910

served out, and practice conducted in the open fields.
Three shiploads of rifles were known to have been
captured by German warships, one off Start Point,
another a few miles outside Padstow, and a third within
sight of the coastguard at Selsey Bill. Two other ships
were blown up in the Channel by drifting mines. The
running of arms across from France and Spain was a
very risky proceeding ; yet the British skipper is nothing
if not patriotic, and every man who crossed the Channel
on those dangerous errands took his life in his hand.

Into Liverpool, Whitehaven, and Milford weapons
were also coming over from Ireland, even though several
German cruisers, who had been up at Lamlash to cripple
the Glasgow trade, had now come south, and were believed
still to be in the Irish Sea.

CHAPTER IX

WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT SEA

Our fleet, however, was not inactive. The Germans
had mined the Straits of Dover, and one of the turbine
Channel steamers had been sunk with great loss of life.
They had bombarded Brighton, mined Portsmouth,
and made a raid on the South Wales coal ports.

How these raiders were pursued is best described in
the official history of the invasion, as follows : —

The Trevose wireless station signalled that the
Germans were off Lundy about 2 p.m., steaming west
with fourteen ships of all kinds, some moving very
slowly. The Lion and Kincardineshire at once altered
course to the north, so as to intercept them and draw
across their line of retreat. At the same time they learnt
that two British protected cruisers had arrived from
Devonport off the Longships, and were holding the
entrance to the English Channel, and moving slowly
north behind them.

About 3.30 the wireless waves came in so strongly
from the north-east that the captain of the Lion, who
was in charge of the cruiser division, became certain of
the proximity of the German force. The signals could
not be interpreted, as they were tuned on a different
system from the British. The Germans must have
also felt the British signals, since about this time they
divided, the three fast liners increasing speed and heading
west, while the rest of the detachment steered north-
west. The older German vessels were delayed some
fifteen minutes by the work of destroying the four

413

414 THE INVASION OF 1910

colliers, which they had carried off forcibly with them
from Cardiff, and removing their crews. Delay at such
a moment was most dangerous.

Soon after 3.45 p.m. the lookout on board the Lion
reported from the masthead, smoke on the horizon
right ahead. The Lion's head was set towards the
smoke, which could be only faintly seen, and her speed
was increased to twenty-one knots. The Kincardine-
shire altered course simultaneously — she was ten miles
away on the port beam of the Lion, and in constant
communication by wireless with the Selkirk, which was
still farther out. Ten minutes later the Selkirk signalled
that she saw smoke, and that with the ten destroyers
accompanying her she was steering towards it. Her
message added that the Irish Sea destroyers were in
sight, coming in very fast from the north, nine strong,
with intervals of two miles between each boat, still
keeping their speed of thirty knots.

The cordon was now complete, and the whole force
of twenty-two cruisers and torpedo craft turned in
towards the spot where the enemy was located. At
4.5 the lookout on the Lion reported a second cloud of
smoke on the horizon, rather more to starboard than
the one first seen, which had been for some minutes
steadily moving west. This second cloud was moving
very slowly north-westwards.

The captain of the Lion determined to proceed with
his own ship towards this second cloud, and directed
the Kincardineshire, which was slightly the faster
cruiser, to follow the movements of the first-seen smoke
and support the Selkirk in attacking the ships from
which it proceeded.

The enemy's fleet soon came into view several miles
away. Three large steamers were racing off towards
the Atlantic and the west ; seven smaller ships were
steaming slowly north-west. In the path of the three
big liners were drawn up the Selkirk and the ten de-
stroyers of the Devonport flotilla, formed in line abreast,
with intervals of two miles between each vessel, so as

WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT SEA 415

to cover as wide an extent of sea as possible. The
Kincardineshire was heading fast to support the Selkirk
and attack the three large German ships. Farther to
the north, but as yet invisible to the Lion, and right in
the path of the squadron of old German ships, were nine
destroyers of the Irish Sea flotilla, vessels each of 800
tons and thirty- three knots, also drawn up in line abreast,
with intervals of two miles to cover a wide stretch of
water.

The moment the Germans came into view the two
protected cruisers at Land's End were called up by
wireless telegraphy, and ordered to steam at nineteen
knots towards the Selkirk. The two Devonport battle-
ships, which had now reached Land's End, were warned
of the presence of the enemy.

Sighting the ten Devonport destroyers and the
Selkirk to the west of them, the three fast German liners,
which were the Deutschland, Kaiser Wilhelm II., and
Kronprinz Wilhelm, all three good for twenty-three
knots in any weather, made a rush for the gap between
the Devonport destroyers and the Kincardineshire.
Perceiving their intention, the Kincardineshire turned
to cut them off, and the ten destroyers and the Selkirk
headed to engage them. In danger of all being brought
to action and destroyed if they kept together, the
German liners scattered at 4.15 : the Deutschland
steered south-east to pass between the Kincardine-
shire and the Lion ; the Kaiser Wilhelm steered boldly
for a destroyer which was closing in on her from the
starboard bow; and the Kronprinz Wilhelm ran due
north.

The Deutschland, racing along at a tremendous
speed, passed between the Kincardineshire and the
Lion. The Lion at long range put three 9.2-inch shells
into her without stopping her ; the Kincardineshire
gave her a broadside from her 6-inch guns at about 5000
yards, and hit her several times. But the British fire
did not bring her to, and^she went off to the south-west
at a great pace, going so fast that it was clear the

416 THE INVASION OF 1910

armoured cruisers would stand little chance of over-
hauling her.

The Kaiser Wilhelm charged through the line of
destroyers, receiving a heavy fire from the 6-inch weapons
of the Selkirk and Kincardineshire, and in her turn
pouring a rapid fire upon two of the Devonport de-
stroyers, which attempted to torpedo her, and missed
her at about 900 yards. The Selkirk, however, was
close astern of her, and with her engines going twenty-
three knots, which was just a fraction less than what
the German engineers were doing, concentrated upon
her a very heavy fire from all her 6-inch guns that would
bear.

The fore-turret with its two 6-inch weapons in two
minutes put twenty shells into the German stern. One
of these projectiles must have hit the steering gear, for
suddenly and unexpectedly the Kaiser Wilhelm came
round on a wide circle, and as she wheeled, the broadside
of the British cruiser came into action with a loud crash,
and at 3000 yards rained 100-lb. and 12-lb. shells upon
the liner. The beating of the pom-poms in the Selkirk
could be heard above the roar of the cannonade ; and
seeing that the liner was now doomed, the British
destroyers drew off a little.

Under the storm of shells the German crew could not
get the steering gear in working order. The great ship
was still turning round and round in a gigantic circle,
when the Lion came into action with her two 9.2's and
her broadside of eight 6-inch weapons. Round after
round from these was poured into the German ship.
The British gunners shot for the water-line, and got it
repeatedly. At 4.40, after a twenty minutes' fight,
the white flag went up on board the Kaiser Wilhelm,
and it was seen that she was sinking. Her engines had
stopped, she was on fire in twenty places, and her decks
were covered with the dying and the dead. The first
of the raiders was accounted for.

Meantime, the Kronprinz Wilhelm had with equal
swiftness dashed north, receiving only a few shots from

WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT SEA 417

the Selkirk, as she passed her, 8000 yards away. The
British armoured cruiser Kincardineshire followed in
the German ship's wake ten miles astern and quite out
of range. The German liner was seen by the ocean-
going destroyers of the Irish Sea flotilla, which headed
after her, and four of them going thirty knots easily
drew ahead of her. To attack such a vessel with the
torpedo was an undertaking which had no promise of
success.

The British destroyer officers, however, were equal
to the occasion. They employed skilful tactics to
effect their object. The four big destroyers took station
right ahead of the German ship and about 1500 yards
away from her. In this direction none of her guns
would bear. From this position they opened on her
bows with their sternmost 13-pounders, seeking to
damage the bow of the Kronprinz Wilhelm, breach the
forward compartments, and so delay the ship. If she
turned or yawed, her turn must give time for the
Kincardineshire to get at her.

The gunners in the four destroyers shot magnificently.
Their projectiles were small, but for fifteen minutes
they made incessant hits upon the German ship's bow.
At last their punishment had the desired effect upon her.
Angry at the attack of these puny little antagonists,
the German captain turned to bring his broadside to
bear. As he did so, the destroyers quickened to thirty
knots, and altered course. Though the German guns
maintained a rapid fire upon them, they were going so
fast that they escaped out of effective range without
any serious damage, regained their station on their
enemy's bow, and then reduced speed till they were
within easy range for their little guns. But in the
interval the Kincardineshire had perceptibly gained on
the German ship, and was now within extreme range.
About 5.50 p.m. she fired a shot from her fore-turret,
and, as it passed over the German ship, opened a slow
but precise fire from all her 6-inch guns that would bear
at about 9000 yards range.
27

418 THE INVASION OF 1910

The small shells of the destroyers were beginning
to have some effect. The fore-compartment of the
Kronprinz Wilhelm was riddled, and water was pouring
into it at such a pace that the pumps could not keep
the inrush down. The trim of the ship altered slightly,
and with this alteration of trim her speed fell by nearly
a knot. The Kincardineshire began to gain visibly,
and her fire to tell more and more. At 6.50 she was
only 7000 yards off the German ship, and her 6-inch guns
began to make many hits on the enemy's stern.

To increase his speed to the utmost the captain of
the Kincardineshire set all his spare hands at work to
jettison coal, and flung overboard every bit of lumber.
The spare water in his tanks shared the fate of his
surplus fuel. At the same time the stokers in the
engine-rooms were told that the ship was closing the
enemy, and worked with a redoubled will. Large
parties of bluejackets led by lieutenants were sent down
to pass coal from the bunkers ; in the engine-rooms
the water was spouting from half a dozen hoses upon
the bearings. The engineer-lieutenants, standing in a
deluge of spray, kept the pointer of the stokehold tele-
graphs always at " more steam." Smoke poured from
the funnels, for no one now cared about the niceties of
naval war.

The ship seemed to bound forward, and with a
satisfied smile the engineer-captain came down into the
turmoil to tell his men that the cruiser was going twenty-
four knots, her speed on her trials nearly six years
before. Five minutes later the shock and heavy roar
of firing from twenty guns told the men below that the
broadside battery was coming into action, and that the
race was won.

At 7.25 the Kincardineshire had closed the German
ship within 5000 yards. About this time the Kronprinz
Wilhelm's speed seemed markedly to decline, and the
big armoured cruiser gained upon her rapidly, spouting
shell from all her guns that would bear.

At 7.40 the British warship was only 3000 yards off,

WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT SEA 419

and slightly altered course to bring her enemy broader
on the beam and get the broadside into battle. Five
minutes later a succession of 6-inch hits from the British
guns caused a great explosion in the German ship, and
from under the base of her fourth funnel rose a dense
cloud of steam, followed by the glow of fire through the
gathering darkness.

A minute later the Kronprinz Wilhelm stopped, and
the chase was over. She hoisted the white flag, while
her captain opened her sea-valves, to send her to the
bottom. But the British destroyers were too quick
for him ; a boarding party dashed on board from the
Camelopard, and closed the Kingston valves before enough
water had been taken into the double bottom to endanger
the liner.

In this brief action between two very unequally
matched ships, the Germans suffered very severely.
They had fifty officers and men killed or wounded out
of a crew of 500, while in the British cruiser and the
destroyers only fifteen casualties were recorded. The
Kincardineshire stood by her valuable prize to secure it
and clear the vessel of the German crew. The Kronprinz
Wilhelm was on fire in two places, and was badly
damaged by the British shells. One of her boilers had
exploded, and her fore-compartment was full of water.
But she was duly taken into Milford next morning, to
be repaired at Pembroke Dockyard, and hoist the
British flag.

Meantime, the Lion had been attending to the other
German vessels. After taking part in the destruction
of the Kaiser Wilhelm she had turned north and chased
them, aided by the Selkirk. Five of the ocean-going
destroyers and the ten Devonport destroyers had
already proceeded to keep them under observation and
harry them to the utmost.

They were still going north-west, and had obtained
about twenty-five miles' start of the two big British
cruisers. But as they could only steam twelve or
thirteen knots, while the British ships were good for

420 THE INVASION OF 1910

twenty-one, they had little chance of escape, the less
so as the 14,000-ton-protected cruiser Terrific, the flag-
ship of the torpedo flotilla, was fast coming up at twenty
knots from Kingstown, and at 6 p.m. had passed the
Smalls, reporting herself by wireless telegraphy, and
taking charge of the operations in virtue of the fact that
she carried a rear-admiral's flag.

The approach of this new antagonist must have
been known to the Germans by the indications which
her wireless waves afforded. On the way she had re-
ceived the news of a serious British defeat in the North
Sea, and her Admiral was smarting to have some share
in reversing that great calamity.

Before dusk she was in sight of the seven German
ships, with their attendant British destroyers. The
Germans once more scattered. The Gefion, which was
the only really fast ship, made off towards the west, but
was promptly headed off by the Terrific and driven
back. The Pfeil headed boldly towards Milford, and
as the batteries at that place were not yet manned,
caused some moments of great anxiety to the British.
Two of the fast ocean-going destroyers were ordered
to run in between her and the port and to torpedo her
if she attempted to make her way in through the narrow
entrance. Observing their manoeuvre, the German
captain once more turned south. The other five German
ships kept in line, and attemped to pass between the
Smalls and the Welsh coast.

The Terrific had now closed the Gefion sufficiently to
open fire with her 9.2's and 6-inch guns. The fight was
so unequal that it could not be long protracted. With
every disadvantage of speed, protection, and armament,
the German cruiser was shattered by a few broadsides,
and, in a sinking condition, surrendered just after
dark.

The Selkirk and Lion passed her and fired a few
shots at her just before she struck, but were ordered by
the Rear-Admiral to attend to the other German ships.
Five shots from the Lions bow 9.2-inch gun settled the

WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT SEA 421

Pfeil, which beached herself in Freshwater Bay, where
the crew blew up the ship, and were captured a few
hours later. Thus four of the ten raiders were disposed
of, and there now remained only five within reach of the
British ships clearing the Bristol Channel.

It was 9 p.m. before the Lion and Selkirk had closed on
the remnant of the German squadron which had raided
the South Wales ports sufficiently to engage it. The
five German ships had passed through the dangerous
passage between the Smalls and the mainland without
misadventure, and were slightly to the north-west of St.
David's Head.

Right ahead of them were the British destroyers,
ready to co-operate in the attack as soon as the big
cruisers came up ; abreast of the German line were the
two large British armoured cruisers ; well astern of
them was the Terrific, heading to cut off their retreat.
The German ships were formed up with the Corrnoran
at the head, and astern of her in line the Sperber,
Schwalbe, Meteor, and Falke. None of these poor old
vessels mounted anything larger than a 4-inch gun, and
none of them could steam more than twelve knots. The
only course remaining for them was to make some show
of fight for the honour of the German flag, and to their
credit be it said that they did this.

The task of the British cruisers was a simple one. It
was to destroy the German vessels with their powerful
ordnance, keeping at such a distance that the German
projectiles could do them no serious damage. At 9.10
the fight began, and the Lion and Selkirk opened with
their entire broadsides upon the Corrnoran and Falke.
The Germans gallantly replied to the two great cruisers,
and for some minutes kept up a vigorous fire.

Then the Corrnoran began to burn, and a few minutes
later the Falke was seen to be sinking. The British
ships turned all their guns upon the three remaining
vessels. The Meteor blew up with a terrific crash, and
went to the bottom ; the Sperber and Schwalbe im-
mediately after this hoisted the white flag and made

422 THE INVASION OF 1910

their surrender. The battle, if it could be called a
battle, was over before ten, and the officers and men
of the British ships set to work to rescue their enemies.
The British casualties were again trifling, and the German
list a heavy one. Of the officers and men in the five
German cruisers over a hundred were drowned, killed,
or wounded.

Thus the British Navy had made a speedy end of the
raiders in the Bristol Channel, and, owing to the vigorous
initiative of the Devonport commander and the Rear-
Admiral in charge of the torpedo flotilla, had practically
wiped out a German squadron. Only the Deutschland
had got away to sea, but the Portsmouth armoured
cruisers had been instructed to proceed in search of her,
co-operating with the cruisers of the Channel Fleet.

The Channel Cruiser Squadron during the afternoon
of Sunday had been ordered to deflect its movement and
steer for Queenstown, so as to get across the line of
retreat of the German ships. Constant communication
with it was maintained by the great long-distance naval
wireless station at Devonport, one of the three such
stations for which funds had been obtained with the
utmost difficulty by the Admiralty from a reluctant
Treasury. Its value at the present juncture was
immense.

As night came down, Rear- Admiral Hunter, in
command of the Channel Cruiser Squadron, was informed
that a large German liner had escaped from the Bristol
Channel. His most advanced ship was now in touch
with Queenstown, and about sixty miles from the place.
The rest of his force was spaced at intervals of ten miles
between each ship, covering eighty miles of sea.

The two protected cruisers of the Devonport Reserve
Squadron, Andromache and Sirius, ships of 11,000 tons
and about nineteen knots sea speed, had taken station to
the north of the Scillies, with one of the battleships of
the Devonport Reserve supporting them. The other
battleship was posted between the Scillies and the
Longships. Off Land's End a powerful naval force was

WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT SEA 423

fast assembling, as ships and torpedo vessels came up
one by one from Devonport as soon as they had
mobilised.

Ten more destroyers arrived at four on Sunday
afternoon, and were at once extended north ; at 8 p.m.
the two fast Portsmouth armoured cruisers Southampton
and Lincoln arrived, and steamed northwards to prolong
the cordon formed by the ships to the north of the Scillies,
and a few minutes later a third ship of the "County " class,
hastily mobilised, the Cardigan, arrived, and placed
herself under Rear- Admiral Armitage, commanding the
Devonport Reserve. She was stationed just to the
south of the Scillies.

All the evening, wireless signals had been coming in
from the Channel Cruiser Squadron, as it moved north-
wards far out at sea beyond the advanced guard about
Land's End. At 8.5 p.m. a signal from it announced
that a large liner was in sight moving south-west, and
that Admiral Hunter's ships were in full chase of her.
The British cruiser Andromache, off the Scillies, and the
three ships of the " County " class off Land's End, were at
once directed upon the point where Admiral Hunter's
signals had reported the enemy. Thirteen British
vessels thus were converging upon her, twelve of them
good for twenty-three knots or more.

The captain of the Deutschland, after dashing through
the British cordon off Lundy Island, stood for several
hours westwards at twenty knots, intending at dusk
to turn and pass wide of the Scillies, and hoping to
escape the British under cover of darkness. He was
under no illusions as to the danger which threatened
him. From every quarter British wireless signals were
coming in — from the west, south, and north — while to
the east of him was the cul-de-sac of the Bristol Channel.
All lights were screened on board his gigantic liner.

About 8 p.m. his lookouts reported a large ship
rapidly moving north, ten miles away. He slightly
altered course, hoping that he had escaped observation,
and stood more to the south. Two minutes later the

424 THE INVASION OF 1910

lookouts reported another very large ship with four
funnels passing right across the line of his advance.

The strange ship, which was the British armoured
cruiser Iphigenia, fired a gun and discharged two rockets
in quick succession. Another half -minute and the
beam of a searchlight from her rose skywards, signalling
to her sister ships that here at last was the prey. Five
other searchlight beams travelled swiftly over the water
towards the Deutschland and caught the liner in their glare.
Forthwith from south and north came the flashing of
searchlights and the heavy boom of guns, and the whole
nine cruisers of the Channel Squadron over their front
of eighty miles began to move in upon the German
vessel.

Her only chance was to make a dash through one of
the wide gaps that parted each pair of British cruisers,
and this was not a very hopeful course. The German
captain had already recognised the British ships from
their build, and knew that the two nearest were good
for 234 knots, and that they each carried four 12-inch
and eight 9.2-inch guns. He steered between the Iphi-
genia and Intrepid, fearful if he turned back that he
would be cut off by the British cruisers behind him in
the Bristol Channel.

Observing his tactics, the two British ships closed
up, steaming inwards till the gap narrowed to five miles.
The Deutschland turned once more, and endeavoured to
pass south of the Iphigenia and between her and the
next vessel in the British line, the Orion ; but her change

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Full text of "The invasion of 1910 : with a full account of the siege of London"

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